Boiled vegetables with butter and thyme

I was going to pan fry the vegetables in butter until they were tender crisp then serve them as an accompaniment to the braised pork spare ribs. But I wanted to add some herbs to the vegetables so I checked what there was in the kitchen cabinets. The potted herbs are almost bald and I will have to leave them alone for a few weeks before I can start snipping off the aromatic leaves again. So, I’m stuck with dried herbs for now.

I checked the jars of dried herbs one by one, reading the labels and paying attention to their recommended use. The label on the jar of thyme said mix with butter then pour over vegetables. Wow, that sounded simple. So, why not?

Even the laziest cook can impress family and friends with a side dish like this one.

Ingredients :

1 white onion, thinly sliced
1 medium-sized head of broccoli
1 medium-sized or 2 small carrots
100 grams of chicharo (snap peas, sometimes called mangetout)
12 fresh baby carrots (you can also use canned but you have to drain them)
2-3 tbsps. of butter
1/2 tsp. of dried thyme
1/2 lemon
salt, pepper and a little sugar

Cooking procedure :

Trim the broccoli. Cut the head into florets. Skin the stalk and slice thinly.

Peel the carrots and cut into half-inch cubes.

Trim the ends and sides of the chicharo; cut into halves lengthwise if they are large.

Cut the baby corn into two to three portions if they are large.

Boil 1/2 cup of water in a small frying pan. Add the baby corn, about half a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of sugar. Cook for about a minute. If using canned corn, skip to the next step.

Add the carrot cubes and the sliced broccoli stalk to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Add the chicharo and the broccoli florets (and drained canned baby corn, if using). The mixture will be almost dry at this point. Season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring for about 30 seconds.

Add the butter and thyme. Turn off the heat. Scatter the the thinly sliced onion over the cooked vegetables. Stir lightly until the butter is completely melted. Toss to coat all the vegetables. Add more salt, if you prefer. Squeeze half a lemon (a whole, if you want more zing) over the cooked vegetables. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and serve at once.

The recipe for braised pork spare ribs will follow. Click here to read about the braised pork spare ribs.