Equipment
Ingredients
Meat Risotto Base
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 75 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 150 g ground beef, 80/20 fat ratio preferred
- 300 ml tomato passata
- 250 g arborio rice
- 600 ml beef broth, kept hot
- 30 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 50 g parmigiano-reggiano, freshly grated
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Filling
- 100 g low-moisture mozzarella, cut into 12 small rectangles or batons
Breading and Frying
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150 g fine breadcrumbs, unseasoned
- 1500 ml neutral frying oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 4 g
- Sodium
- 581 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 45 mg
- Potassium
- 430 mg
- Calcium
- 156 mg
- Iron
- 3.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 37 mg
- Phosphorus
- 172 mg
- Zinc
- 1.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 153 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.16 mg
- Niacin
- 2.4 mg
- Folate
- 72 mcg
- Water
- 71 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook until translucent and softened, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until completely browned and no pink remains.
Stir in the tomato passata, salt, and black pepper. Lower the heat and let the meat sauce simmer gently until it thickens slightly.
Add the arborio rice directly into the meat sauce, stirring well to coat the grains. Pour in half of the hot beef broth. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, adding more broth gradually as the liquid is absorbed by the rice. The final mixture must be thicker and stickier than a standard risotto.
Remove the pan from the heat. Vigorously stir in the cold cubed butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano until melted and fully incorporated.
Spread the warm rice mixture evenly onto a large baking sheet. Let it cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold and firm. Do not rush this step, or the suppli will fall apart during shaping.
Take a portion of the chilled rice mixture weighing roughly 80 grams. Flatten it slightly in your wet palm. Place a piece of mozzarella in the center, then fold the rice over to encase the cheese completely. Shape it into an oval, somewhat resembling a small football.
Set up a breading station with three bowls: one for flour, one for beaten eggs, and one for breadcrumbs. Roll each rice ball lightly in the flour, dip thoroughly in the egg, and coat completely in the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
Heat the frying oil in a deep pot or fryer to 170C/340F. Carefully fry the suppli in small batches of 3 or 4 to avoid dropping the oil temperature. Fry until deeply golden brown and crisp on all sides.
Use a spider skimmer to remove the suppli from the oil and transfer them to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let them rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving so the cheese inside reaches the perfect stretching consistency without burning the mouth.
Chef's Notes
- Unlike Sicilian arancini, which often feature a pocket of filling surrounded by white saffron rice, Roman suppli incorporate the ragu directly into the rice base for a more homogenous, deeply flavored exterior.
- Wetting your hands lightly with cold water before shaping the rice balls prevents the sticky risotto from clinging to your palms.
- Low-moisture mozzarella is strictly required here. Fresh mozzarella suspended in whey holds too much water, which turns into steam during frying and can cause the suppli to explode.
- If the meat sauce and rice mixture seems too loose even after chilling, you can fold in an egg yolk or extra grated parmesan to help bind it before shaping.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store fully cooked and cooled suppli in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze after breading but before frying for the best texture. Fry directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.
Reheating: Reheat cooked suppli in an oven at 180C/350F for 10-15 minutes until crispy and warmed through.
Troubleshooting
Suppli burst open or fall apart in the hot oil.
Cause: The rice mixture was not chilled enough, or the mozzarella was not completely encased.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once in the oil. Chill the remaining unfried suppli for another 30 minutes before proceeding.
Prevention: Chill the risotto on a flat tray for at least 2 hours until entirely cold and stiff. Ensure no cheese is visible when shaping.
Cheese in the center is not melted.
Cause: Oil temperature was too high, causing the exterior to brown before the heat penetrated to the core.
Fix: Transfer browned but cold-centered suppli to a 180C/350F oven for 5 to 8 minutes to melt the cheese gently.
Prevention: Maintain an oil temperature strictly around 170C/340F using a thermometer.
Cultural Context
Originating in Rome as an ingenious street food designed to utilize leftover meat ragu and risotto, the name suppli al telefono translates to suppli on the telephone. This playful title refers to the long, stringy bridge of melted mozzarella that connects the two halves when the hot rice ball is pulled apart, resembling an old-fashioned telephone cord.
