Broccoli With Pearl Onions

By akselden

Ingredients

• 1 bunch broccoli with stems
• 1 basket very small pearl onions (or 6 ounces of the frozen ones) and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons butter
• At least 3 quarts-water

Preparation

Step 1

Trim the broccoli to separate the florets and set them aside. Peel the stems to remove the tough outer layer, then cut the stems into 1/2-inch slices. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. If using fresh onions, drop in the onions to blanch for 1 minute to make them easy to peel. Remove them with a slotted spoon or skimmer and, when they are cool enough to handle , peel them. Add 1 teaspoon;salt to the water for each quart. Put all the vegetables in the water to boil for 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is just tender. Drain well, toss with the butter and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.