Recipe- Try King Of Roman Street Food Suppli At Home

Widely considered to be one of Rome's best street foods, these breaded, deep-fried rice croquettes are in fact quite similar to the Sicilian arancini, but unlike which, Roman supplì are traditionally filled with mozzarella, and the rice is pre-simmered in a tomato-based meat sauce.

In Rome, they are popularly known as supplì al telefono, taking their name from an Italianization of the French word for surprise and the long strings of molten cheese that resemble a telephone cord — the surprise that is revealed when you break one of these crispy rice balls open.

However, these delectable rice fritters hail back to a time long before the telephone — the name apparently originated during the Napoleonic occupation of Italy in the late 18th century, while the first written mention of supplì was found on the menu of Rome's Trattoria della Lepre from 1874.

Ingredients

400 g rice
70 g butter
70 g grated Parmesan
150 g mozzarella cheese, diced
300 g of minced beef
½ liter of tomato paste
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery
¼ liter of wine
¼ liter of broth
4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 eggs
200 g of breadcrumbs
salt
olive oil for frying

Method

* First, prepare the root vegetables; finely chop the onions, celery, and carrot, then fry the root vegetables in a large frying pan.

* Once they have softened, add the meat and brown it, then add the white wine and cook until it evaporates.

* Next, add the broth and the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes more.

* Cook rice in a large pot filled with salted water, drain and combine with the meat sauce, parmesan cheese, butter, and salt.

* Spread the rice over a marble table or baking paper and leave it to cool.

* Now, add two lightly beaten eggs and salt to the rice mixture and blend them in.

* Once the rice has cooled enough, take a spoonful of the rice mixture into your hand and shape a suppli ball.

* Next, with your thumb make a hole in the suppli ball, insert two dices of mozzarella, then seal and shape like an egg.

* In a large and deep bowl beat the remaining two eggs, and add breadcrumbs to a shallow dish bowl.

* First, dip each suppli ball into the eggs, then into the breadcrumbs.

* Fry in sizzling oil until golden and crispy. Drain and serve hot.