Colorful Vegetable Saute
["1/4 c. butter or margarine", "2 Tbsp. vegetable oil", "1 lb. fresh green beans", "1 lb. fresh fennel or 1 medium size bunch celery, sliced", "2 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips", "2 medium size onions, quartered", "2 cloves garlic, crushed", "1 tsp. salt", "1 tsp. dried basil leaves", "1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper", "8 green onion tops", "2 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed"]
["In a Dutch oven, bring a small amount of water to boiling. Add onions; remove from heat.", "Let stand for 1 minute.", "Remove onions, reserving water.", "When cool, tie each green onion around 4 or 5 raw asparagus spears.", "Return water to boiling; add asparagus bundles.", "Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender."]
["butter", "vegetable oil", "fresh green beans", "fresh fennel", "red bell peppers", "onions", "garlic", "salt", "basil", "freshly ground black pepper"]