COOKINGWITHCAMPICHE Smoked salmon and mushroom pasta BY DAVID CAMPICHE The lobster mushroom colonizes the Rus- sula mushroom, a white, bitter and inedible sub- stance, transforming it into a dense, orange won- der. Its color and texture are similar to a lobster. This mushroom appears in early fall and grows in dry ground long before other popu- lar mushrooms. It requires slow and lengthy cooking to tenderize but is certainly worth the wait. I chose to make a wild mushroom pasta, featuring a white sauce (bechamel or mornay with the addition of cheese), smoked salmon and a homemade salmon stock. For the topping, smoke Coho salmon pieces for two hours at 170 degrees Fahren- heit, separating the skeleton, collar and stom- ach from the fi llets. The beauty of this is sim- ple: there is little waste and plenty to use. Smoked salmon pasta with lobster mushrooms Ingredients • 6 to 8 ounces smoked salmon • Three large lobster mushrooms, chopped • 1/2 onion, diced • Three stalks celery, fi nely diced • One carrot • Fresh ginger • 2 tablespoons fi sh paste • 1 tablespoon curry paste • 3 cups kale, chopped • 2 cups salmon broth • 1/4 cup cream • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 6 tablespoons butter • 4 tablespoons fl our (gluten-free rice fl our can be used) • 8 ounces pasta • 4 tablespoons parsley, fi nely chopped • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons butter • Salt and pepper to taste • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red chili fl akes to taste • Parmesan cheese to taste Preparation Cook the pasta in salted water. Add in kale at the last minute and stir into the hot pasta. Strain and hold. Saute the lobster mush- rooms, onion and celery in equal parts of but- ter and olive oil until the onion is translucent. Whisk in the fl our. Stir until the roux is toasty. Stirring con- stantly, add in white wine and then stock, a lit- tle bit at a time. Continue to stir over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Add the cream and continue to stir until the sauce is silky and smooth. Add half of the chopped parsley, cayenne, salt and pepper. At the last moment, swirl in the smoked salmon bits. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Shave on parmesan cheese and garnish with other half of the parsley. Serve immediately with a tossed green salad. Create a stock with the salmon head, cel- ery, onion and carrot, along with 2 table- spoons of fi sh sauce, fresh ginger and 1 table- spoon of curry paste. Slow cook the broth for two hours and strain. Summer is such a pleasure with the avail- ability of fresh salmon, garden vegetables and the early mushrooms: chanterelles and lobster fungi. Autumn and heavy rain will bring out many other species of wild mushrooms – and a particular joie de vivre. David Campiche is a potter, poet, writer and lifelong resident of the Long Beach Pen- insula with a keen interest in adventure, fi ne and culinary arts. Find more about his work at davidcampiche.com. SHANGRILA CREEK MINING COMPANY GO KARTS MINI GOLF GYROXTREME ROCK WALL KIDDIE RIDES MINING SLUICE AND MORE! SEASIDE, OREGON HWY 101 (1/4 mi South of Seaside) • 2735 S. Roosevelt Dr. • 503-738-2076 OPEN DAILY 11 A M T O 6 P M 16 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Photos by David Campiche ABOVE: Fettuccine pasta, topped with a serving of smoked salmon. BELOW: Smoked salmon and pasta atop a bed of spinach, topped with shaved parmesan.