The melting rice suppli’ alla romana are called ‘suppli’ al telefono’ because of the melted mozzarella inside that stretches as you bite them. They are distinguished from the excellent Sicilian arancini both in shape and filling seasoning.
In Roman rotisseries, they are served hot, and the gourmet expects to see the string of mozzarella extending until it burns the tongue. It’s almost a fun game to twirl it until it breaks and then pop it into the mouth. They are also served in restaurants as an appetizer while waiting for the main courses.
In my family, it was almost a tradition to fry them on Saturday night and serve them with pizza. The suppli’ al telefono were made with simple tomato risotto cooked with spices and lots of basil, a handful of minced meat, and mozzarella.
With the amount of this recipe, you will get 12 melting suppli’ alla romana in the typical homemade version.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (Carnaioli or suitable for risottos)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 5.3 oz minced beef (or mixed beef and pork)
- 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth (or meat broth)
- as needed celery, carrot, onion, garlic, basil (for the soffritto)
- 1/4 glass white wine
- 4 tsps grated parmesan (or pecorino romano)
- 1 mozzarella (for pizza, dry and not too juicy)
- 2 eggs
- as needed breadcrumbs
- 1/2 quart peanut oil
Steps
In a wide saucepan with high edges, or better yet a sauté pan, put a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the chopped spices, half a stalk of celery, half a carrot, half an onion, and a clove of garlic. Alternatively, you can use 3 tablespoons of the convenient ready soffritto in a jar, which is always handy and at hand in my house. Prepare a generous handful of fresh basil and set it aside.
Add the chopped fresh basil to the sauce and let the ragù cook for a few minutes, just enough time to infuse flavor. Meanwhile, prepare the hot meat or vegetable broth, even made with a bouillon cube. After the sauce has cooked for a few minutes, pour in the rice, stir, and cook until al dente, adding a ladle of broth now and then to prevent it from sticking.
Taste the risotto and if necessary, adjust the salt and add a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Finally, turn off the heat and transfer it to a bowl to cool, then add the grated Parmesan or, if preferred, the grated Pecorino romano.
Cut the mozzarella for pizza into small rectangles. In a dish, beat the eggs and add a pinch of salt. In another dish, put the breadcrumbs and start preparing the suppli’.
As a reference, you can use a tablespoon to scoop the amount of rice for a suppli’, which you will place in the palm of your open hand. Place the mozzarella in the middle and close the rice around it, shaping it into the typical elongated cylindrical shape. Then dip it into the beaten egg and finish breading it in the breadcrumbs.
To fry the suppli’, I recommend using peanut oil in a tall pot. You will need half a quart, heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then immerse 2 suppli’ at a time and fry them for 3 minutes, until golden. With a spider skimmer (very convenient for both immersing and draining the suppli’), drain them and place them in a bowl with absorbent paper to soak up the excess oil.
The melting suppli’ alla romana, those with the telephone string, are ready to be served almost boiling to enjoy the effect of the stretching mozzarella. But I assure you, they are good even lukewarm or cold.
