Fried Rice balls - Rice Suppli al Telefono

Suppli al Telefono are Roman fritters, rice balls with a cheese filling that strings out like tele- phone wires when eaten. Practically every pizzeria, every osteria or trattoria either are serving suppli or arancini. Arancini are the same thing except these are made with Risotto alla Milanese (see recipe risotto alla milanese).

In my youth, in Rome on cold winter days, I would buy a few of these from street vendors hot from the oil and warm my hands and have a great breakfast. 

The moisture level of the rice has to be such that the balls form when pressed together. If you having trouble, add a beaten egg yolk to rice. Mix well, refrigerate for a half an hour.

Preheat oven to 250 oF for holding batches of the suppli to keep them warm.

Use a fry or a candy thermometer to insure you get the temperature right. The ingredients should be allowed to reach room temperature.

Bunch of finely diced parsley
Bunch finely diced chives
3 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
3 cups leftover Risotto alla Romano (al dente) (see recipe) 4 ounces of mozzarella cheese cut into 3/8 inch cubes
2 cups dry bread crumbs made entirely from the crust of crusty Italian bread. 4 cups of filtered olive oil (not extra virgin)
Preheat oil to 360oF – 365oF

Combine rice with parsley and chives. Beat eggs plus egg yolks in a separate bowl. Put bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Make a few suppli at a time and then place them on a plate until you have four or five ready to cook. Using your hands, form a small ball of about 1 1⁄2 table- spoon of the rice mixture with a cube of mozzarella cheese at the center. The ball size is important because if these are too big, the outside is done before the cheese in the center has time to melt. Roll the rice ball into a round ball. Refrigerate the balls for an hour or two. When ready to cook, dip ball into egg mixture then into bread crumbs. When have dipped four or five, then fry them. The oil should not cool too much when these are cooked hence the limit on how many can be cooked at a time. If the suppli are not completely immersed in oil, then turn them with a slotted spoon as they cook. When suppli are dark golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered platter in the oven to keep warm. 

Serve as soon as possible.