Food By Franz

2 cans (15oz) artichoke hearts, drained
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Lemon (for juice)
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 anchovy fillets
1 C Italian style bread crumbs
¼ C chopped fresh parsley
¼ C grated Parmegiano cheese
Fresh ground black pepper

Oven to 400. Open the artichoke cans, drain completely. Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise (the object is to get them a fairly equal in size). Coat a small casserole dish with the olive oil. Arrange the halved artichoke hearts with tops up, in a layered pattern in the dish. Squeeze the juice of ¼ lemon over them (just to coat – keeps discoloration to a minimum also). In a nonstick skillet add the oil, butter, garlic and anchovies – using a wooden spoon to break up fillets, saute 2-3 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and lightly toast mixture, 2-3 minutes. Add parsley, cheese and black pepper, stir to combine, remove from heat. Top artichokes with an even layer of bread topping and set in the oven – bake 10 minutes until warmed through and topping is a deep golden brown.

This is an excellent “group appetizer” or a wonderful warm addition to an antipasto platter.

Note* This recipe does not half equally – if you want this as a side dish for two or three, use one can, a bit less lemon juice and only 2/3 C of bread crumbs (if you are not a anchovy lover you can reduce that too). The rest of the ingredients are pretty well as stated.