Preheat the oven to 200°C. Meanwhile, boil your kettle. To make your stock, add the boiled water for the risotto (see ingredients for amount) to a medium saucepan on high heat. Stir in the vegetable stock paste. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.

Halve, peel and chop the red onion 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, wide-bottomed pan on medium heat. Add the onion 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 in a ladle of your stock into the pan with 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 and two thirds of the hard Italian 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 leftover cheese over the top. Enjoy!