Rice Suppli al Telefono (Fried Rice balls)

 

 

Suppli al Telefono are Roman fritters, rice balls with a cheese filling that strings out like
telephone 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 beated egg yolk to rice.
Mix well, refrigerate for a half an hour.

Preheat oven to 250 F 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.
3 - 4 cups of canola oil

Preheat oil to 360F – 365F

 

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 ½ tablespoon 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. Dip ball into egg

mixture then into bread crumbs. When have made 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.