- SPAGHETTI WESTERN
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
12 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 baby artichokes
8-ounce package spaghetti
2 large garlic cloves, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 cup fish stock
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Saffron
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
4 clams, chopped
4 Monterey Bay prawns or jumbo shrimp
12 large mussels
1/2 cup brandy
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 1/2 tablespoons Pernod
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 large sea scallops, quartered
Stir juice from lemon and 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large pot
of salted, boiling water. Add artichokes and boil for 5 minutes or until almost tender. Remove artichokes and cool under cold running
water. Reserve artichoke cooking water. Peel outer leaves from 8
4 artichokes with leaves
intact). Cut off stems.
1 1/2 inches
long). Set aside. Add additional salted water to leftover artichoke
water. Bring to a boil and cook pasta. Drain and return to pot.
In a large saute pan heat 7 tablespoons olive oil. Saute garlic,
celery, and 2 tablespoons shallots until golden. Add tomato puree,
fish stock, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, 2 generous
pinches of saffron, tomato paste, anchovy paste, and clams. Bring
to a low simmer and cover.
3 tablespoons olive oil and saute
tablespoons chopped shallots. Season with black pepper. Add prawns
and mussels, cover with brandy, and ignite. Remove from heat and when flame subsides, set aside.
Add red and yellow peppers, artichokes, mussels, and brandy to
sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add Pernod and cream to sauce and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Use a
slotted spoon to remove peppers from sauce; add peppers to spaghetti.
Rinse the spaghetti mixture in hot water and drain (to remove traces
4 flat bowls with a few
tablespoons of sauce. Arrange 14 of the spaghetti in each bowl,
leaving a hollow in the center. Place 2 quartered raw scallops in
the center. Arrange 3 mussels on edge of plate and, on the opposite
side, place 3 artichokes. On each plate, place a reserved, uncut artichoke over the scallops. Spoon remaining sauce over scallops
and mussels. Place 1 prawn in the center. If preparing in advance,
cover with foil and set aside. To serve, re-heat in a 325 oven for 20 minutes. Makes
4 servings.