Artichoke Pasta with Butter, Lemon and Garlic

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
2. While you are waiting for the water to boil, trim the 3 globe artichokes down to the heart, removing all of the tough outer leaves, stem and dark green from the tender whitish green flesh around the heart.
3. Next, cut the hearts in half and carefully cut the choke (the prickly fuzzy layer) off of the top of the heart.
4. Rub the trimmed artichokes with a half of a lemon and put them in a bowl of cold water with the lemon halves.
5. Add the artichoke heart halves and the lemon halves to the boiling water and boil 5 minutes.
6. Using a slotted spoon, pull the artichoke hearts from the boiling water and place on a cutting board. (Leave the lemon halves in the water.) Keep the water boiling.
7. Slice each artichoke heart half into 3 to 4 pieces and set aside.
8. In a medium pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil. Then add 2 cloves of minced garlic, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the fresh lemon juice. Let this simmer about 1 minute.
9. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water that you cooked the artichokes in. Cook according to the manufacturer’s directions to al dente. Drain and set aside.
10. Add the artichoke heart pieces and the white wine to the pan with the garlic and cook over medium heat, for 5 minutes. Then place a lid on the pan and cook another 3-5 minutes or until the artichokes are fork tender.
11. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot it was cooked in and add the artichokes and sauce to the pot and stir well to coat the pasta.
12. Immediately put the pan of pasta back on the stove, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 clove of minced garlic to the pan. Simmer together until the butter has just melted and everything is combined with the pasta.
13. Toss the pasta together season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
14. Garnish with fresh herbs. Serve immediately.