Supplì, a vegetarian recipe from Italy

Name: Supplì
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 300 g arborio rice; 1 litre hot vegetable stock; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 1 onion, chopped; 40 g butter; 50 g grated parmesan; 150 g mozzarella, cut into batons; 2 eggs, beaten; 120 g fine breadcrumbs; 60 g plain flour; Oil for frying; Salt and black pepper

Method

Melt the butter, add the onion and let it soften for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, then the stock a ladle at a time, stirring until the rice is cooked. Allow 18 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in the parmesan. Season, spread the risotto on a tray and leave it to cool for 2 hours.
Take a large spoonful of cold rice in your palm, set a baton of mozzarella in the middle and close it into a long oval.
Roll each supplì in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil to 175C and fry 4 at a time for 4 minutes, until the crust turns brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and eat while the cheese still pulls.

The full name is “supplì al telefono”, after the thread of mozzarella that stretches between the two halves like an old telephone cord. The risotto must be cold and firm before you shape it, or the balls burst open in the oil.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.
Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.

Frequently asked questions

My supplì burst open in the oil. What went wrong?

The risotto was still warm or too loose when shaped. It needs two hours spread on a tray until cold and firm for the ball to hold together. Check too that the breadcrumbs cover the whole surface, with no bare patches.

Can I use yesterday's risotto?

Yes, that is the original Roman practice and cold rice shapes far better. Use a stiff one: a risotto left soupy will never hold as a ball. Take it out of the fridge just before you roll the supplì.

Which mozzarella gives the best stretch?

A firm, well-drained fior di latte rather than one sitting in its water. The whey it releases as it melts soaks the rice and splits the ball. Cut it into batons and pat them dry before sealing them inside.

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Supplì

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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