There’s something awesome about stuffed mushrooms in an early ’80s, Parents’-Dinner-Party/Gourmet magazine kind of way. To me, they give off a sort of suburban glamour – the type of thing served at a party in someone’s shag-carpeted living room, where the guests drink red wine out of chunky crystal glasses, people who don’t usually smoke have a cigarette, someone plays Van Morrison on the record player, and the kids are upstairs, watching “Wonder Woman” on a wood-veneered TV on a waterbed in a guest room, where they’ll fall asleep and wake up outside in the cold air while being carried out to the car, buckled in, and, back asleep again, driven home. It’s possible I’m dating myself, here.

Stuffed mushrooms (here adapted from a recipe in Simone and Inés Ortega’s 1080 Recipes) are also really good, really easy, and just a fun thing to cook that takes just enough work to feel like a project while not really taking any serious time or skill to pull off. You can multiply the recipe out for a party (Make a hundred! It’s really easy!), cook them through to the second-to-last step, and then just pop them under the broiler when it’s time to serve. You can add anything you want and take them in whatever direction strikes you (Spanish – a little smoked paprika; Moroccan – chopped dried apricots, chopped almonds, a dash of cayenne; 1980s craziness – chopped up sundried tomatoes and minced shallot; Generic Asian – a few drops of sesame oil, chopped scallions, minced ginger, and maybe even chopped water chestnuts if you’re still with me on the early Reagan Administration thing), though be sure to use good olive oil. You have guests to impress, after all.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 1/2 tablespoons soy milk or water

16 medium fresh mushrooms (white button or cremini)

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

Method