Pasta with Broccoli and Caramelized Onions

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Peel the onions and cut into thin slices. Place the oil and onion in a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

   Step 2

   While the onions are cooking, cut the florets from the broccoli and discard the stems. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until al dente. After the pasta has been cooking for 4 minutes, add the broccoli florets to the pasta water for the remainder of the cooking time. Drain the pasta and broccoli in the colander.

   Step 3

   Add the drained pasta and broccoli, almonds, and balsamic vinegar to the pan of onions and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

2. cooking 101

   Step 4

   Balsamic vinegar is made from grapes that have been cooked down to a syrup and then aged. The aging time—anywhere between three and 150 years—is what determines the price. The three-year-old stuff works fine for a college budget (and frankly, we may never in our lives be able to afford the oldest balsamic—it goes for hundreds of dollars an ounce). Cheap but decent balsamic vinegar is nice to have in your pantry—it makes very nice salad dressing when mixed with oil and salt and pepper. Just check the ingredients list to make sure they haven’t added caramel or brown sugar to sweeten up an inferior product.