Artichokes, Olives, Capers - OH MY!

I have been on this artichoke-kick lately. I love them! I can't get enough of them. And I can't wait till my friend Beth decides to make fresh artichokes with all the dipping sauces just like she did for NYE this past year (are you reading this Beth?)

Any-who. Yesterday evening's dinner consisted of, you guessed it, artichokes. This particular meal has a light taste and is great paired with a salad and garlic bread (our staple "Italian sides" in the Luckey-Meyer home). Another great thing about this vegetarian meal - it is so close to NO PREP it almost hurts. The only items you need the cutting board for are the artichokes and parsley. But don't get me wrong - this is just the way I prepared it - you can buy already quartered artichokes! And I have been known to use dried herbs before! So if you really wanted this to be absolutely NO PREP - then by all means - get on it!

To start out, I bring vegetable broth, butter and flour to a boil and lower the heat, letting it simmer till the mixture has thickened up.

While the base of my sauce is thickening, I start to quarter 2 cans of drained and rinsed artichoke hearts. YUM! Not only are artichokes delicious - I think they are the most attractive produce of the bunch! (I really do have a thing for artichokes - LOL!)

Once the sauce has thickened and my artichokes are quartered, I add the artichokes, about a half-a-cup of lemon juice, garlic, and a little bit of parmesan cheese to the sauce.

Yep - the fettuccine looks good as it boils in my big pot!

I continue to let the sauce cook for about 10 minutes. When I am ready to mix in the pasta, I add some parsley and capers right before the end!

Once the pasta is drained, I pour it back into the large pot and I then add the artichoke sauce. I mix the pasta and sauce together, adding a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

I plate up the pasta, garnish it with some black olives, and DINNER IS SERVED! The briney (is that even a word?) flavors of the capers and olives give the subtle artichoke flavor a nice little "oomph". A prefect pair for anytime!

I told you I would be back with a complete meal! Tonight I am making a stir fry! Let's see if I remember to get out the camera!