Sautéed Broccoli and Carrots

Have you even gone to a restaurant and have your meal come with vegetables and thought those are so darn good? The secret to perfect vegetables is the 2 part cooking process. First you steam the vegetables and then sauté in a little butter. These vegetables are served al dente, firm to the bite and delicious.  

 

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 medium broccoli florets

4 medium carrots

1 tablespoon butter

 

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and cut into 1" pieces. Rotate the carrot as you cut into pieces so you have varying shapes. Take the broccoli and cut off the stalk so you have individual broccoli pieces. Cut each one of the broccoli pieces in half.

 

Use a large 4 quart sauce pan with steamer attachment and bring the water up to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the carrots and cook about 4 minutes. They will be perfectly done when you can take a fork and penetrate about half way through the carrot. At this point the carrot is cooked, but still has that nice crunch you're looking for. Take the carrots and place into a large bowl filled with cold water. This stops the coking process and keeps the nice bright color.

 

Next, repeat the process with the broccoli. However, the broccoli will cook more quickly than the carrots, only about 2 minutes. When done, add to the cold water with the carrots. Finish this step by draining the water and placing some paper towels on a plate and letting the vegetables rest until you're ready to finish the dish 

 

To finish the dish, take a 10" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the butter and vegetables. Sauté

until heated, about 2 minutes and you're ready to serve.