Coconut Milk and Shitake Mushroom Risotto

4 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup regular coconut milk

2 leeks chopped finely, white stem only

2 cloves of garlic chopped fine

1 ½ cups arborio rice

¼ cup of vermouth or a dry white wine

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups of shitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut to your liking

2 scallions, diced fine

Heat the broth and coconut milk together in a small pot, bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover.

Heat another pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil into it. Sauté the leeks until they are soft and slightly translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in the arborio rice allow it to toast for a few moments or until the outside of the rice begins to look translucent. Douse the rice in the vermouth or white wine and allow to simmer.

When the majority of the liquid has cooked off add in your first ladleful of the broth mixture and stir the rice gently around the pot making sure to scrape the sides. When the broth looks mostly absorbed add in another ladleful of stock.

Continue this process until you only have one ladle left of stock. Add in the shitake mushrooms and the last ladleful of stock, the heat of the risotto should cook the mushrooms quickly.

Turn off the heat. If you are feeling brave, put a pat of butter on top of the risotto. If not just add a little more of the coconut milk. Cover the pot of risotto with a lid and allow to rest for five minutes before serving.