Spaghetti with crispy baby artichokes

Baby artichokes always look so adorable in the produce section. According to Produce Pete, their size is not due to immaturity, rather because they grow on the lower and shadier part of the plant. While they do take some time to prepare, they don't require removing the inner choke so most of this flower bud is edible. My question is, who approached this crazy looking vegetable and thought, "I wanna eat this!" ??

The recipe I prepared in May, (artichoke season is typically March, April, May), I based it on a New York Times article that sounded delicious. But, as is often the case with home cooks, I made some minor substitutions to use the contents of my pantry and fridge. I had extra artichokes leftover since I used less pasta, but it just made for a tastier version. Overall, it was a delicious spring dish that held up to reheating the following day for lunch. In fact, I could have just eaten the artichokes alone with a drizzle of evoo, a nice wedge of Parmigiano and some crusty bread.

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby artichokes

3 tbsp capers, drained(I would have used more if I had them, 1/4 c probably works well)

5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped

1/2 package thick spaghetti

1 cup pasta water

1 tbsp evoo plus more as needed

salt and pepper
Parmigiano cheese to taste

Directions:

1. Begin by trimming your artichokes. Have a large bowl set aside full of cool water and the juice of 1 lemon. You'll be placing your trimmed artichokes in here to keep them from browning. (Although mine always seem to brown a little bit.) Begin by cutting the top 1/3 off artichoke. This gets rid of most of the spiny tips. Then pull off all of the tough leaves until you get tender, light green ones underneath. Finally, using a paring knife, peel the bottom part of the bud and stem until you reach a softer center and place into the acidulated water.
    
   
   
2. In a large, deep, stainless steel pan, heat the olive oil and saute garlic, onion and capers until lightly brown. season the vegetables with salt and pepper then remove them with a slotted spoon leaving the seasoned oil in the pan.
3. Using a sharp knife, slice your baby artichokes lengthwise at 1/4 inch intervals and crisp them over low heat in the pan. Work in batches and do not over crowd the pan. Place the cooked artichoke slices on paper towels and drizzle the pan with more oil if needed. Once all the artichokes are cooked, keep the pan on the stove.

4. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until almost al dente. They will be soft, but a little too crunchy to eat at this stage. With tongs, transfer the pasta to the artichoke pan with 1 cup of pasta water and turn up the heat so the spaghetti continue to cook. As the pasta water reduces, add the onion caper mixture back to the pan to cook along with the spaghetti. Continue to toss the pasta and add more water from the pot as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

5. When the spaghetti is cooked to your liking, plate it in shallow bowls and top with crispy artichoke slices. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano cheese and enjoy!