Recipe

Suppli Sotto Cieli di Roma

Recipe
No Questions Yet

Photo by pierino

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Savory Rice Dish

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Street Food
Chef
pierino's Notes: Warm Roman nights. Ahhh! Suppli al telefono is classic Roman street food. “Telefono” refers to telephone wires. When you bite into one of these gooey croquettes the strings of melted mozzarella...
Warm Roman nights. Ahhh! Suppli al telefono is classic Roman street food. “Telefono” refers to telephone wires. When you bite into one of these gooey croquettes the strings of melted mozzarella are the wires. We think the origins of this dish must be in Sicily where its counterparts would be the “arancine.” Lots of good ideas came to Rome from Sicily when the Jews were expelled during the Inquisition; most of the culinary ones involved frying stuff. My version isn’t kosher but you can make it so quite easily. The rice is the star here, tweak it as you will. Don’t even think about attempting this with long grain rice. You begin by preparing rice as you would risotto which you can do a day ahead, although a risotto won't be the final outcome. You can even use leftover “sticky rice” of the cal-rose variety or Spanish “bomba.”

Expand Collapse

Serves 4-6

1 cup Arborio (or other short grain) rice Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon butter Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup chopped red onion Ask a question about this ingredient

2 cups chicken stock Ask a question about this ingredient

1 pinch saffron threads Ask a question about this ingredient

3 eggs (2 for the rice plus 1 for your frying station) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 pound prosciutto or speck or spicy capacola (have it sliced thick), cut into ¼ inch dice Ask a question about this ingredient

5 ounces low moisture mozzarella Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup bread crumbs (panko) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

3 cups frying oil (olive oil would be Roman, but you can use canola or peanut oil as well) Ask a question about this ingredient

Salt and ground pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

Prepare the rice. Bring your chicken stock to a boil, add the saffron threads and lower heat to a simmer. Meanwhile melt the butter in your rice pan and add the onion. Allow the onion to color
Ask a question about this step
Stir the rice into the butter with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir until the rice is translucent.
Ask a question about this step
Over medium heat add stock to rice and onion a ladleful at a time. Allow 25 minutes for rice to become al dente and remove from heat.
Ask a question about this step
Turn your rice out into a large bowl and allow to cool. Beat two eggs and add them to the rice with several spoons of pecorino, plus salt and pepper. Using your clean hands squish everything together into a lumpen proletariat like mass.
Ask a question about this step
In a large pot, preferably cast iron, enameled or not, heat frying oil to 370 degrees.
Ask a question about this step
Again using your clean hands, shape the rice into egg shaped balls and insert a piece of mozzarella and a chunk of your preferred hammage. Close the ball tightly.
Ask a question about this step
Your frying station consists of a plate of flour, the remaining egg (also beaten) in a bowl, and a final plate of bread crumbs mixed with more pecorino.
Ask a question about this step
One by one, roll the suppli into flour first, dip into egg and finally roll in bread crumbs.
Ask a question about this step
Carefully lower your suppli into your hot cooking oil. If you displace too much oil you won’t be yelling “Eureka” like Archimedes. You’ll be dialing 911. Allow your suppli to get nice and golden brown. Serve hot but with care.
Ask a question about this step
Note to cook: There are many variations for suppli and they remain open to argument. Welcome to Rome. Among my favorites would be a ragu of regaglie (chicken giblets), which you could substitute for ham.
Ask a question about this step