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Salmon and wild Mushrooms in a
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce over Fettuccine
If you like mushrooms and salmon, this dish will astound you. The roasted red pepper sauce is easy to prepare, even though it is somewhat time-consuming to roast and peel the red bell peppers. You can buy roasted peppers in the supermarket, but I assure you that once you learn how to roast your own, you'll never go back to store-bought ones. You'll love serving roasted peppers tossed with a bit of oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley or basil as an
accompaniment to many meals.
 Ingredients:
(Makes 4 servings)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, approximately
- 1/2 pound wild mushrooms (shiitake, cremino, portabello, or other favorite), stems removed, cleaned, and sliced
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound fettuccine (or other favorite pasta, except small, shaped pasta)
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 pound salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 1 cup Marinara Sauce (see enclosed recipe)
- 3 large red bell peppers, roasted and pureed
- 1/4 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 cup fish broth
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems removed and chopped
Instructions:
Heat about half the olive oil, enough to cover the pan, in a large skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds, until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add the mushroom slices and half the garlic and cook until the mushrooms are soft but still firm, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
Cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of boiling, salted water.
While the pasta cooks, put the remaining olive oil and the red pepper flakes in the same skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds, or until the oil is hot but not smoking. Brown the salmon in the hot oil for about 1 minute on all sides, add the remaining garlic, and cook briefly, until the garlic begins to turn golden brown.
Add the sherry, return the mushrooms to the pan, cook for 1 minute, and add the Marinara Sauce, pureed peppers, sun-dried tomato slices, and fish broth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sauce starts to boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the cream, and simmer for 1 minute more, until the sauce thickens. Add a bit more broth if the sauce is too thick, and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, drain the pasta and toss it in a large serving bowl with the liquid portion of the sauce. Transfer the pasta to individual serving plates and top each serving with the sautéed ingredients. Adjust seasoning, and sprinkle with parsley.
Roasting Peppers:
The best roasted pepper of all is the one you roast yourself in your own kitchen. It's not hard. Place as many bell peppers as you wish on a foil-lined baking sheet a few inches from the broiler element of your oven. When the exposed sides are blackened, turn the peppers with a pair of tongs. When the entire pepper has blackened, remove them from the oven and place them in a brown paper bag.
When they're cool enough to handle, rub the blackened skins and remove the seeds. The skins will magically slip off, and you'll be left with a roasted pepper that can then be sliced and used in other recipes. One warning: don't wash the blackened skins off, or the flavorful oils will wash away as well.
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