Simplicity in itself.

For six people you will need:

6 artichokes (they should be firm and feel solid -- soft or light artichokes will probably have fuzzy hearts)
salt
1/2 a lemon
Flour
An egg, lightly beaten
Oil for frying

Squeeze the lemon into a bowl of water, drop the rind into the bowl, and add a pinch of salt and a little bit of flour (not enough to make a paste). Peel away the tough outer leaves of the artichokes, trim the tops perpendicular to the length of the artichokes, and cut the artichokes into eighths. Soak them in the acidulated water for an hour. Then rinse them, pat them dry, flour them, dredge them in the egg, and fry them until crisp and golden in moderately hot oil (you don't want the outside to burn before the inside is cooked).