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Pan Fried Baby Artichokes (Carciofi Fritti)

Often, you’ll find this dish served with a side of lemony garlic aioli, but we love it drizzled with warmed Due Cellucci sauce!

Ingredients:
6 small (baby) artichokes, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise (see below).
6 cloves garlic, smashed or sliced.
4-6 tbsp olive oil.
Half a jar of Due Cellucci Tomato Basil Sauce.
Salt to taste.

Preparation:
1. Trim all the outer tops of artichoke leaves and work inward, trimming off top half of all leaves, preserving the bottom meats.  Cut artichokes in half lengthwise, and with a spoon, carefully scoop/scrape out only the bristly choke. Rinse and dry well and set them aside.
2. In a skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil over low/medium heat.
3. Add in garlic and sauté just to golden brown, being careful not to burn – garlic can brown very quickly.
4. Remove garlic and set aside.
5. Add rest of olive oil, add prepped artichoke halves (make sure they are dry!) and start to crisp them, turning until all sides are nicely browned and cooked.  About 10-12 minutes.  Remove artichokes.  Note: you can also transfer them to a small baking sheet and into a hot oven, letting them finish cooking while you move on to heating the sauce.
6. In the same skillet, with remaining oil still in pan, on very low heat, pour in sauce being careful not to splatter into hot oil. Warm and toss the sauce, plate your hot artichokes and drizzle sauce all over.  Sprinkle with salt and serve.