To Level Up Mushroom Pasta Like Jamie Oliver, Grab Your Grater

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What makes chefs like Jamie Oliver so brilliant is their ability to take something classic, like cacio e pepe, and then nudge it ever so slightly off course in a way you'd never have thought to do. In his cookbook "7 Ways: Easy Ideas for Every Day of the Week," the star of "The Naked Chef" does just that with the famously creamy pasta dish, giving it a memorable twist. Unlike in the traditional recipe, he adds mushrooms, but he doesn't slice or saute them whole; he grates them instead. These finely shredded fungi are stirred straight into the pasta water and cheese sauce, allowing them to soften and melt into the glossy noodle coating. The technique lends a depth of flavor to the sauce without bulking it up to the point that the dish becomes unrecognizable.

Unlike diced or sliced mushrooms, when grated, the vegetables have a fluffier texture that can be dispersed seamlessly through the dish and even grated on top as a truffle-like garnish. Cacio e pepe is, by definition, smooth, silky, and creamy, so this adds pungent earthiness in a cleverly unobtrusive way. All it takes is a fine grater, preferably something like a Microplane Classic Series Zester and Grater, as that creates the most delicate shavings — which is exactly why it's Ina Garten's favorite kitchen tool.

One of the more widely disliked foods in the world, mushrooms often get a bad reputation, but much of that comes down to how they're cooked. The mistakes you can make when cooking mushrooms, such as overcrowding the pan or cooking them while wet, will only make them soggy and unappealing, but grating solves this problem entirely by focusing on how mushrooms behave when they are broken down. Mushrooms are mostly water, so grating them increases their surface area, allowing them to melt more easily into the sauce. Just make sure to grate them when fully dry and use firm, flavorful mushrooms such as white button, cremini, or chestnut.

Jamie Oliver's technique is about incorporating ample umami into a peppery Italian classic, so if you're not a mushroom fan because you hate chomping down on the occasionally chewy fungi, this method could be the one to convert you. Of course, you're not limited to cacio e pepe. Grated portobellos, for example, are a popular ingredient in meatless pasta sauces like Bolognese, as they cook down similarly and mimic the richness of slow-cooked ground beef. And this subtle ingredient-grating strategy is one Oliver uses beyond mushrooms; it's also his genius way of adding chile pepper flavor to his cooking, since grating them frozen lets the pepper's heat permeate the dish better than sliced or chopped chiles would. So, follow Oliver's lead and get grating no matter what kind of noodles you're cooking up.