First of all clean the artichokes: using a sharp knife, cut off the stem, leaving a piece about 5 cm long. Remove the outer petals by hand, cut off the “tip” of the artichoke and then the tougher upper part of the remaining petals, leaving just the tender part and the inside, “heart” of the artichoke. As you prepare them, put them in a bowl of water, with the juice of the lemon and the two squeezed halves of the fruit. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, then strain and pat them dry with kitchen paper. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, sauté the cloves of garlic “in camicia”, literally with their shirt on, unpeeled and slightly crushed with the palm of your hand. Put the thinly sliced artichokes into the pan as well. Season with salt and pepper and stir; when the artichokes begin to brown, pour in ½ a glass of warm water so they can finish cooking without drying out too much. When the artichokes are cooked, turn off the heat and remove the garlic. Cut off the green part and roots of the leek, score through its two outer “layers” lengthwise and peel them off with your hands. Then cut it into round slices about ½ cm thick (allow 4 or 5 per portion). Put the flour in a bowl and gradually add the water, a little at a time, until you have a smooth, runny batter. Put a deep frying pan on the hob with enough oil to fry the leek in. When the oil is hot enough (test it with a piece of bread, it should start to fry immediately), dip the rings of leek in the batter, drain off the excess and put them into the oil. Turn them so they cook all over. When they’re a nice golden brown, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the frying pan and lay them on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Cook the pici in plenty of water and, in the meantime, gently heat the artichokes adding the red pesto. When the pasta is “al dente” (firm to the bite), strain it and toss it in the pan with the artichokes and pesto for a couple of minutes. Put the pici into individual bowls and garnish with the fried leek rings. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve while nice and hot.

For the red pesto (this is the “La Vialla-style” recipe)

Ingredients for 4-5 people:

120 g sun-dried tomatoes

20 g pine nuts

20 g pecorino cheese

2 cloves of garlic

3 basil leaves

1 pinch of powdered chilli pepper

5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Coarsely chop all the ingredients, then combine the resulting mixture with the olive oil and powdered chilli pepper. You can use this “recipe within a recipe” to dress any type of pasta (ideally diluted with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water), to spread on toasted bread to prepare crostini, to accompany raw or boiled vegetables, as well as to add flavour to salads (including pasta and rice salads), and boiled or grilled meat.