Caramelizing Veggies in a Sweet and Sour Sauce.

Use tiny onions, baby or cut carrots, other firm vegetables for this recipe.  Possibly Brussels Sprouts would work, taking care not to overcook.  If they are getting soft, remove and continue to reduce the sauce till thick and syrupy and pour back over the veggies.

For about 2 cups of vegetables

Coat the bottom of a frying pan with a generous amount of olive oil. 
When hot, add butter and melt till the foam disappears.
Saute the vegetables till browned.
Add:
1 T sugar
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato sauce or chopped tomato flesh

Boil till thick like syrup.
add fresh herbs of your choice at the end.
Serve warm or cold.

If using Cippolini onions, blanch them briefly in boiling water to aid the peeling process.  There is no way to hide the fact that this job is a real bitch, but the rewards are great.  You can also use frozen pearl onions, just be careful of the cooking time.  You can use quite large onions for this, and the onions become apple-crisp...delightful.