There is some debate as to how to clean the critters. My mom always rinsed them in cold water. Then I heard, do not wash them, brush them gently clean with a soft brush (there's one made just for the job, it even looks like a mushroom). Then I saw Jacques Pepin on TV tell his audience, "Poppycock!" (except he said that in French). Of course, you wash the mushroom, but then dry it, he said. Michael Romano in the Union Square Cafe Cookbook wipes them clean with a damp cloth. So does Arrigo Cipriani in The Harry's Bar Cookbook. Marcella Hazan suggests rinsing and drying them, as does Patricia Wells. The Joy of Cooking says brush or wipe with a cloth. Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food says, "Wash and dry the mushrooms, or wipe them clean with a damp cloth" (very diplomatic). Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook from 1950 says, "Wash mushrooms gently under cold running water." (I think this is where my mother got her method) So, whenever I cook mushrooms, I do one or all of the above. Who am I to argue?

Why don't you take a go at it? Below are three recipes that can make up a lovely repast: appetizer, first course, and second course. Each dish, of course, has mushrooms in it, so you either decide the heck with it, let's have a mushroom party! Or decide the heck with it, and cook each one on a separate occasion. Depends on your appetite for fungus in your diet. But remember, as one of the most ancient foods our species enjoys, mushrooms have taste and magic and a lot of "booping" power!

P.S. Don't let the risotto scare you away. Despite what you've heard, it's a joy to make. It took me years to finally break the ice, now I make a risotto every week.