Pearl onions cooked in tomato sauce make a great side dish for any meal and are even delicious as a cold salad.  The combination of brown sugar, white balsamic vinegar and capers give the onions a lovely sweet and sour taste and the grape tomatoes make the sauce really flavourful and rich.

Pearl Onions in Tomato Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 500 g pearl onions
• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• Small knob of butter
• 1 punnet grape tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 3 Tblsp White Balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tblsp capers
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 sprig rosemary
• chicken seasoning
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. In a pot of boiling water blanch the onions for 2 minutes, then peel
2. Heat the oil and the knob of butter in a heavy based saucepan
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste and stir through
4. Stir in the capers, rosemary, brown sugar and stir through then add the peeled onions
5. Season with freshly ground black pepper and chicken seasoning and stir through the vinegar
6. Lower the heat and simmer until the onions are tender, approximately 60 minutes
7. When nearly cooked stir through the chopped parsley
8. Serve hot or chilled as an accompaniment to meat with crusty bread