Mushroom Pasta and the Naked Chef

So I love Jamie Oliver. Back when I had a TV, and cable, I used to watch his original Naked Chef show, and I absolutely loved it. He was so energetic and all over the place, and it all seemed so real. After that, he had another show in a staged kitchen which I really didn’t like as much, but I still loved his philosophy on food and cooking.

Somehow, I’ve never bought one of his cookbooks. I borrow The Naked Chef from my library ALL THE TIME, but for some reason have never bought it. Enter my lovely co-worker, Amy. She drew my name for gift-giving at work, researched my book selections on GoodReads, and bought it for me!! I’m so excited about it. Now I can cook from it and write in the margins and read through it lazily and not have to return it to the library. 🙂

So this mushroom dish is an adaptation of one of Jamie Oliver’s recipes. It’s simple but flavorful, and a great use of the mushrooms I bought at the farmer’s market last week. It’s a lot like this recipe, actually. I forgot about that one. Anyway, it’s quick and yummy and worth passing along to you.

Pasta with Mushrooms

  • 12 ounces mushrooms (I used white button), cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 8 ounces pasta (I used pappardelle)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic and chile flakes, and saute for 6 – 8 minutes, until the mushrooms are softened and release some of their liquid. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add salt to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and add to the mushrooms along with the Parmesan, parsley and butter. Toss gently and serve.

Makes 3 – 4 servings.

Adapted from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver.

2 responses to “Mushroom Pasta and the Naked Chef”

  1. I have a similar rendition. I use bow tie pasta, basil instead of parsley, no lemon, no pepper flakes, and lots of romano cheese.
    This is my first year with cable. I have not come across the naked chef, but will keep my eyes open.
    Ciao

  2. Jamie Oliver is a genius

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