Recipe - Artichokes And Peas

2 lg Artichokes
1 Lemon (juice only)
2 tablespoon Virgin olive oil
lg Basil leaves;
cut or sliced up in strips
1 lg Onion, white or yellow
cut or sliced up 1/4in thick
Salt
1 pound Fresh pod peas; =OR=
1 cup Frozen peas
Finely chopped parsley
Freshly milled pepper
1 tablespoon Sweet butter
=OR=ExtraVirgin Olive Oil
Lemon juice; to taste
=OR= Champagne Vinegar

SLICE THE UPPER 2/3 of the leaves off the artichokes, then break off the
remaining leaves, snapping them off at the base. Trim off the dark green
stubs, going around the artichoke with a paring knife. Cut them in
quarters, remove the fuzzy choke and slice each quarter into pieces
1/4to1/2inch thick. As you work, rub the cut surfaces with lemon and put
them in a bowl with the lemon juice and water to cover. Gently warm the
olive oil with half the basil. When it is fairly hot, but not sizzling, add
the onions and the cut or sliced up artichokes. Salt lightly and give them a stir to
coat them with the oil, then add Three fourths cup water and cook over a mediumlow
flame. As the water cooks off, add more, in 1/2cup increments until the
artichokes are cooked, about 25 minutes. Add the peas and continue cooking
until they are done. Let any liquids reduce until they are syrupy. Taste
and season with salt. Add the rest of the basil, the parsley and the butter
or olive oil. To brighten the flavors, stir in a little lemon juice or
champagne vinegar to taste.

DEBORAH MADISON PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini