increase the amount of oil so that the shallots are just
barely poking out of the surface). Add them to sandwiches
or soups, use as a garnish for cooked meats, or just eat
’em straight out of the jar. Sometimes I forget to hide the
jar and come home to find the sweet smell of shallots on
my wife’s breath. She, of course, blames the dog. As far
as I know, the dog has yet to figure out how to leave a
keyboard covered with greasy little fingerprints.
NOTE: Homemade fried shallots rock, but you can also
get them prefried in Thai or Vietnamese markets.
SERVES 6 TO 8
1½ pounds button mushrooms, cleaned