Lemon-Herb Artichoke Hearts with Almonds and Red Pepper

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 5 fresh artichoke hearts, cooked*, cleaned* and halved
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Heat butter or margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and red bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute. 2 Add artichokes and lemon juice. Stir in almonds, salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and top with parsley. 3 Serve immediately. 4 *To prepare artichokes, trim outer bottom leaves and stem. 5 Blanch in salted, boiling water with lemon juice for about 20 minutes, or until tender. 6 Remove from the water and cool. Remove leaves and reserve for another use. 7 With a spoon, scoop out the hairy choke and reserve the hearts. This may seem like a hassle, but you’ll find that in terms of flavor and texture, using fresh artichoke hearts instead of canned makes a big difference. 8 If you’re in a hurry, though, you can use artichoke bottoms from a can, drained and rinsed. Source: Almond Board of California