RECIPE: Cook Like an Roman by Making Supplì

It's a fried rice ball with cheese, and you're going to lose your mind when you try it.

Before my fun new gluten intolerance kicked in, I ate a LOT of supplì (pron. sue-PLEE), much of it in Rome, all of it delicious. There are shops, more than a few, where supplì is offered, but I learned to be discerning. I looked for supplì made by actual Romans, who—to my mind, at least—offered that certain something that elevated this dish from the merely tasty to the sublime.

In a sense, it’s like a capsule-shaped fried pizza ball, and we have no real equivalents in the U.S. Most of the Italians who immigrated there were from Southern Italy, and supplì isn’t native to that area. You can imagine my surprise and delight when I first tasted one, and how poignant it is to see them piled behind glass sneeze-guards, out of reach in every sense of the word. This is why I had to learn to make them myself using gluten-free breadcrumbs.

The Italians use carnaroli rice, which is “glutinous” and sticky. But if you can’t find any, try Basmati (soaked for 15 minutes prior to use) or sushi rice.

Grana Padana DOP is is a hard, part-skim cheese from the Po Valley made only from cow's milk and requiring a long aging process (at least 9 months). If it’s available at your supermarket, terrific, but if not, you can substitute it with a block of Parmigiano-Reggiano that you grate yourself. All I ask is that you not use pre-grated cheese of any kind, especially Kraft. That’s not cheese. It’s a faintly cheese-like substance designed to fool you into thinking it’s the real deal.

Unless you, too, suffer from my dietary restrictions, I advise you to use regular breadcrumbs, which seem to hold together a little better than their non-gluten brethren. I also urge you to find the best mozzarella you can get your hands on, the kind suspended in a bladder of water or oil, but barring that, best available. The deliciousness of Italian cuisine is 100% the cook and 100% the freshness of ingredients. You’re thinking, but Stacey, that’s 200%!

Exactly.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cup carnaroli rice or substitute

• 7 oz tomato puree

• 5 ¼ oz mozzarella cheese

• 1 yellow onion

• 4 ¼ cups vegetable broth (already salted)

• 3 eggs

• ¼ cup Grana Padano DOP cheese or Parmigiano-Reggiano

• 2 ½ cups breadcrumbs

• Black pepper to taste

• Salt to taste

• Corn oil for frying

• Extra-virgin olive oil to taste

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, bring your vegetable broth to a boil.

2. While waiting for the broth to heat, peel the onion and chop roughly.

3. Drizzle some oil in a separate sauté pan (essentially, a frying pan with relatively tall vertical sides and a lid), add the onion, and brown over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

4. Pour in uncooked rice, continuously stirring for about five minutes over medium heat. This will “toast” the rice and make it stick to your other ingredients.

5. Add your boiling vegetable broth to the sauté pan until the rice is covered. Pour in the tomato puree and stir well. Continue to cook the rice by adding more hot broth as needed.

6. Once cooked, with all the liquid absorbed, remove from heat. Add the grated Grana Padana (or substitute) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Next, transfer the cooked rice to a tray (or a pan lined with parchment paper) and distribute evenly using a wooden spoon.

7. Once the rice has cooled, transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours. Meanwhile, take the mozzarella and cut into large cubes measuring about ½ inch.

8. Once the rice has become nice and dense, take it out of the fridge. Now, you can make the supplì: First, moisten your hands so the rice won’t stick to them. Take a spoonful of the rice mixture and place in your hand. Press down lightly to form the signature “capsule” shape, and then place some mozzarella cubes in the center, covering it with the rice while retaining the classic, slightly elongated croquette shape.

9. Repeat this process until all your ingredients are gone. You should have about 9-10 supplì.

10. Next, move on to the breading. Beat the eggs in a bowl, adding a pinch of salt. Pour your breadcrumbs on a plate or in a bowl.

11. Take one of the supplì, first dip it in the egg and then dredge in the breadcrumbs so that it’s completely covered. Do this for all your supplì.

12. Heat plenty of corn oil until it reaches a temperature of 329°-338°F, then submerge two supplì at a time. Wait a few minutes, and once they’re golden brown, drain them using a slotted spoon. Repeat steps until all the supplì are cooked.

13. Transfer to a tray covered with paper for fried food.

14. Serve and enjoy!

Buon appetito!

Have you eaten or made supplì before? If so, I want to hear all about it. Anyone who makes his recipe will not regret it. Leave your comments below.