Categories
Appetizers Fried Rice

Ragù and Mozzarella Rice-balls or Supplì al Telefono Roman Style

How to prepare the real Italian recipe of  Rice-balls or “Supplì al Telefono”

One of the best dish of our region Lazio, originally from Rome. Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of balls of rice with tomato sauce, mozzarella and raw egg, typical of Roman cuisine.

The story of the name is funny, the term Supplì comes from the French word surprise, but “Supplì al telefono” literally means “Supplì on the phone”, because if you open them, when still warm, the cheese inside that has melted while cooking, will stretch between the 2 halves similar to the wire of a telephone.  This dish is a great surprise and we are pretty sure that it will be very difficult to stop eating!

Ingredients for 4 people

  • 300 grams of Rice
  • 200 grams of Tomato canned
  • 100 grams of Ground Beaf
  • 20 grams of Butter
  • 100 grams of Mozzarella Cheese
  • 50 grams of Breadcrumbs
  • 1 Onion Blonde
  • 1 Carrot
  • a Stalk of Celery
  • 5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 glass of White Wine
  • Salt and Pepper as you prefer

The sauce preparation

In a casserole make a “soffritto”: pour 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, add carrot, onion and celery previously chopped and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the “soffritto” has softened. Add the meat and cook slowly for 5 minutes, add the white wine and when it is evaporated add the tomato canned, salt and pepper. Cover and cook a medium heat fo 1 hour.

In the meantime in a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the rice, fry, stirring, over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat and add the vegetable stock, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, the rice should be cooked al dente. In a bowl pour the rice, the butter and the ragù sauce, mix well and let rest for 1 hour, better if you place it into the fridge.

Now we make a Suppli

Take a heaped tablespoon of risotto and shape it into a ball (it seems as croquettes) between the palms of your hands. Press a pinch of mozzarella cheese in the middle and cover with risotto. Dip the supplí into the beaten egg, then roll it in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the supplí, and then quickly fry for 3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove the supplí from the pan and drain it on absorbent kitchen paper.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: while Supplì are rice-balls of rice mixed with Ragù and filled with Mozzarella, Arancini instead are rice-balls of white rice with saffron and have the Ragù and Piselli only inside as filling. Very different.

Posted by Nicoletta and Tiziana

The Real Italian Food. Buon Appetito!

 

72-ore-suppli-988x6291