# Europe Forum > European Culture & History > European food and recipes >  Recipe for classic, basic "white" risotto

## Angela

I've seen an awful lot of bizarre ideas on the internet for making risotto "easier" to prepare. I frankly don't get it. The standing and stirring is about 20 to 22 minutes. Leave it for the week-end if you want, but don't ruin it. Anything worth doing entails work. 

Anyway, this young Neapolitan woman came to America when she was a pre-teen. Her youtube cooking channel used to be very good. Now it's mostly "American" food, of the totally unhealthy kind, particularly desserts, so I don't follow her as much. Whatever she's cooking she has a lovely and winning personality, however. She also breaks down and explains each step of any recipe really well, so that even people who don't cook very well should be able to follow it.

This is her recipe for basic risotto. I would only add that some people do not include carrot in the soffrito, although I do. I think it imparts a bit of sweetness. Also, if I knew I was going to be adding fish or shellfish, for example, I wouldn't use chicken stock, I would use a vegetable stock. (She does the same when she makes seafood risotto.) I usually make my own, but I've been seeing it in the supermarkets lately, even some imported from Italy. The other thing is that I really don't use chicken stock unless I've run out of my own meat stock, which is "brodo". I've included the recipe for that below. Don't even consider making it unless you're going to use Italian risotto rice, which she emphasizes as well. The reason you should warm the plates is because if the plates are cold the risotto will start drying out and clumping. If you're in a restaurant and it comes out cool, dry, and clumpy, send it back!

I know this must sound mental to a lot of you, but it's the way we are. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD5GlczvFWs



Italian brodo: It requires both beef and chicken, or perhaps beef, veal and chicken. Everything goes into cold water. Just let it simmer for four hours, returning occasionally to skim off the "scum", and then strain at the end. I use this not only for risotti, but add tortellini, anolini, etc. for a wonderful soup. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1T0Iumj87M

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