Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Western

Stir the juice from half of the lemon and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large pot of salted boiling water. Add the artichokes and boil for 5 minutes or until almost tender. Remove the artichokes and cool under cold running water.

Peel the outer leaves from 3/4 of the artichokes down to the most tender part (leave 1/4 of the artichokes with leaves intact). Cut off the stems. Cut the peeled artichokes into bite-sized pieces (about 1 1/2 inches long). Set aside.

Add additional salted water to the left over artichoke water. Bring to a boil and cook the pasta. Drain and return to the pot.

In a large pan, heat seven tablespoons of the olive oil and saute the garlic, celery, and 2 tablespoons of the shallots until golden. Add the tomato puree, fish stock, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, saffron, tomato paste, anchovy paste, and clams. Bring to a low simmer and cover.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and saute 2 tablespoons of the chopped shallots. Season with black pepper. Add the prawns and mussels, cover with brandy, and ignite. Remove from heat; when the flame subsides, set aside.

Add the red and yellow peppers, artichokes, mussels, and brandy to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the Pernod and cream to the sauce and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bay leaf and the peppers from the sauce; add the peppers to the spaghetti. Rinse the spaghetti mixture in hot water and drain (to remove traces of the sauce).

Cover the bottom of individual, ovenproof flat bowls with a few tablespoons of sauce. Arrange 1/4 of the spaghetti in each bowl, leaving a hollow in the center. Place 2 quartered raw scallops in the center. Arrange 3 mussels on the edge of the plate; and, on the opposite side, place 3 artichokes.

On each plate place 1 reserved uncut artichoke over the scallops. Spoon the remaining sauce over the scallops and mussels. Place 1 prawn in the center. If preparing in advance, cover with foil and set aside.

To serve, heat in a 325 degrees F oven for 20 minutes.