Lobster "Mushroom" - Smoked Tempeh Saute over Pasta

Yesterday I found lobster mushrooms (not really a mushroom but rather a mold that envelopes a host mushroom and gives it the reddish-orange color that, apparently, cooked lobsters have) on sale; still expensive (around $20 a pound), I bought a small quantity that added up to $5. Before preparing them today, I did a little research on the web and found that some didn't particularly enjoy the flavor, and found some advise to slice these "mushrooms" thinly and cook longer than one might cook other mushrooms.

I had some smoke-flavored organic "fakin' bacon" tempeh waiting to be cooked and finished. I started a saute going with thinly sliced lobster mushrooms and soon thereafter added the tempeh. I let the saute go for about 10 minutes, adding finely chopped onion just a few minutes before finishing to let it remain non-carmelized. I'm glad I did that because the resulting dish didn't need any more strong flavor. It was good served over a simple pasta and artisinal imported olive oil, but I wish I had used standard tempeh and not smoked, as the flavor was a little overpowering of the mushrooms. The lobster mushrooms tasted fine to me but really I like even white button mushrooms better, so the cost will probably prohibit me from buying them again. The sauteed lobster mushrooms were somewhat tough and of mild flavor.

I also had some braising greens left over from day before yesterday, so served them as well. An English muffin, tomatoes, and olives rounded out the meal.