Creamy Pastoral Pasta with Salmon

I conjured up this recipe recently while traveling through Montreal. I didn't feel much like going out to dine with the rest of the food packing traffic creating crowd, so I stayed in and cooked... naturally. 

This pasta has a wonderful creamy light red sauce that goes spectacularly well with salmon. 

1 package of a pasta of choice ( I recommend angel hair or fusilli)

1 jar of good quality garlic tomato sauce

1 package of Boursin cheese with garlic and fine herbs (you can find this at your local grocer in the fine cheese section)

2 whole salmon filets  

extra virgin olive oil

salt 

pepper

1 clove fresh garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 large sweet onion thinly sliced

1 package of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

Start by putting a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. 

In a separate pan, drop in a bit of olive oil (enough for sautéing) and allow to heat up. Add the clove of fresh garlic to the hot oil and saute for a moment, then add the onions and mushrooms and allow them to cook. Set aside once done.

Preheat the oven to 350° F and begin prepping the salmon. If you are using frozen salmon, you will have to allow it to defrost in a bowl of cool water 20 minutes before making. Do not use warm water to defrost as the salmon will begin to cook and thus go bad. 

Once the salmon is ready, give it a good rinse and dry. Put the salmon in a well oiled pan and drizzle olive oil over the fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and put into the oven to bake for 15 minutes. 

While the salmon is cooking, begin working on the sauce.

Add 3/4 of the jar of tomato sauce to a pan and allow to heat. Add half the package of the Boursin cheese and let it melt down completely. Once the cheese has fully melted and mixed into the sauce, it should have a light red or pink coloring to it. You may add more cheese if you wish for the sauce to be a bit creamier. Add the mushroom and onion mix to the sauce and stir. 

 Once the salmon is cooked, remove from the oven and cut up into uneven pieces. Throw the salmon on top of the pasta and pour the sauce over everything, stir well.

Serves 4

Music Suggestions: 

•Beethoven Symphony No. 6, Movement II: Andante Molto Mosso- Scene By The Brook

•Vivaldi Concerto in D for Guitar, Movement II: Largo