Photo: Stuffed Rice Balls, Roman Style: Suppli al Telefono Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 (16-ounce) can peeled San Marzano tomatoes and their juices, crushed by hand
- 3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 2/3 cups Vialone, Avorio or Arborio rice
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
- 7 ounces ground beef
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 liter extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Soak the mushrooms in 1/2 cup water for 2 hours. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom water, and chop finely. Dissolve the tomato paste in the mushroom water and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the beef stock, crushed tomatoes and 3 tablespoons butter, mix well and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the rice is done, stirring occasionally. Turn the rice mixture out into a serving bowl and gradually stir in the eggs and Parmigiano. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter over low heat. Add the onion and prosciutto and cook over high heat 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until well browned. Add the mushrooms, mushroom water-tomato paste mixture, and salt and pepper to taste, and keep at a simmer. With a spoon, make egg-shaped portions of the rice, and make an indentation in the center of each one. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each ball of rice, along with a few cubes of the cheese. Roll each ball in the bread crumbs so that it is completely coated, and set aside.
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over high heat until it is almost smoking in batches, fry the balls in the hot oil until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels while seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired.
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By dsmith_10926450
Shady Cove, OR
on July 27, 2009
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If you like risotto, you are going to love this! However, if you don't plan this recipe ahead of time, when you start it you will realize you are supposed to soak the mushrooms for two hours. I did that and I thought....oh NO! Now what am I going to do? But I saved the day by soaking them in hot water for about 15 minutes. The rice itself is a little messy to work with even chilled. I read later in a different recipe that if you leave it in the fridge overnight, it works a whole lot easier. I discovered that if you want the inside to be hot with the cheese melted and ooey-gooey inside, you must make the balls about two inches in diameter or smaller. The recipe says use a spoon to form a football shape, but it doesn't mention whether its a teaspoon, tablespoon or a serving spoon, nor does it mention the approximate size each one should be. I ended up with a ball about 2-3 inches after the teaspoon of filling was added to the center(a little too big The recipe reads pretty easy, but don't kid yourself nor be deceived by it; this recipe is tedious and you need a lot of time to just get it ready to fry. So start at least two-three hours(to soak the mushrooms and to completely chill the rice ahead of your planned serving time. You can fry the balls anytime, the preparation is what takes so long. The prep time says 3 minutes on this recipe, that is definitely a typo in a MAJESTIC way! I have to admit though, even though the recipe took me the better part of an afternoon to get done, the result and compliments were worth the effort. They taste wonderful, but I didn't use just tomato sauce as recommended; I used my own homemade spaghetti sauce. It was stupendous! Thanks Mario, it a tasteful recipe! I'll definitely make this again!
By mariss30
Chicago, IL
on April 20, 2009
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As I have spent a lot of time in Rome, real suppli do not include mushrooms or anything in the center but risotto con il sugo and mozzarella cheese. Anything else is then considered arancini which is another dish altogether. Suppli are amazing though!
By tater1965_10075775
Kinston, NC
on January 31, 2009
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Did not like these at all, I have made rice balls before so I thought I would try this recipe out , good enough to try once.
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