Artichoke Hearts with White Wine Lemon and Capers

Ingredients

• 3 16-ounce sized cans of Artichoke Hearts: there are about 8 hearts in a can of this size. For this recipe, the hearts are cut in halves or about 6 pieces for each person in a dinner for 8 people.
• 3 � 4 Eggs, well beaten in a large bowl
• 1 cup of Flour, on a plate, for flouring the hearts
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• about 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
• about 1/4 cup of dry White Wine
• 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
• 2 Tablespoons of Capers, at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon of chopped Parsley

Equipment

• a wide, heavy-bottomed frying pan
• a baking tray lined with paper towels

Directions

1. 1. Cut the artichoke hearts in half, lengthwise.
2. 2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the butter and half the olive oil in the pan over medium heat.
3. 3. As the butter and oil heat, roll the hearts in flour��and transfer them, a few at a time to the bowl of beaten egg. Coat the hearts in the egg and transfer them to the pan, cut side down. Add as many to the pan at one time as it is possible to saut� in one layer without crowding them together.
4. 4. Saut� the hearts on one side over medium heat until they are golden. Allow them to brown gradually. There�s no rush, as there is with deep frying. Turn and saut� them on the second side. (The rounded side will not brown evenly�and it doesn�t matter.)
5. 5. Transfer the golden hearts to a tray lined with paper towels. Wipe out the pan, add the second Tablespoon of butter and the second half of the olive oil. Roll the remaining hearts in flour, dip them in egg and saut� them. Transfer them to the baking sheet as well.
6. 6. Wipe out the pan again. Return all the artichokes to the pan and heat them over medium heat. Add the wine and the lemon juice and cook the hearts until they have just absorbed both of them.
7. 7. If you are serving the artichokes immediately, sprinkle on the capers and parsley. Otherwise, you may leave the artichokes in the pan, reheat them and add these last two ingredients just before putting the artichokes on plates�or, as an appetizer, in a bowl.
8. To serve as an appetizer, place a spoon in the bowl for guests to use to serve themselves a few, with capers, onto small plates.
9. People will need forks to eat the hearts as an hors d�oeuvre. Lemon twists look nice, added to a bowl of the hearts.