Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Boil a full kettle.

To make your stock, add the boiled water for the risotto (see pantry for amount) to a medium saucepan on high heat.

Stir in the veg stock paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.

Halve, peel and chop the shallot into small pieces.

Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press).

Trim the bottom 2cm from the asparagus and discard. Halve the asparagus widthways.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan on medium heat.

Once hot, add the shallot and cook until softened, 3-4 mins. Stir in the garlic and sun-dried tomato paste, then cook for 1 min more.

Add the risotto rice, stir and cook until the edges of the rice are translucent, 1-2 mins.

To make your risotto, stir a ladle of stock into the rice. When the stock has been absorbed by the rice, stir in another ladle of stock. 

Keep the pan on medium heat and continue stirring in stock, letting it absorb each time.

The cooking time should take 20-25 mins and your risotto is done when your rice is ‘al dente’ - cooked through but with a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle.

When the risotto has about 10 mins cooking time left, pop the asparagus and baby plum tomatoes onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat.

Roast on the middle shelf of your oven until tender, 10-12 mins.

When the risotto is cooked, remove from the heat and mix in the butter (see pantry for amount) and two thirds of the hard Italian style cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

When the veg is roasted, serve the risotto in bowls with the asparagus and tomatoes on top.

Finish with a drizzle of the balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of the remaining cheese over the top.

Enjoy!