Spaghetti Western

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 artichokes down to tenderest part (leave 4 artichokes with leaves intact). Cut off stems. Cut peeled artichokes into bite- size pieces (about 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. In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and saute 2 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 of the sauce). Cover the bottom of 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.