Supplì al telefono are Roman fritters, rice balls with a meat-and-cheese filling that's quite stringy when it's hot. The sight of the strings dangling from somebody's half-eaten supplì made someone think of phone lines, and hence the name. No, I am not making this up.
Prep Time: 1 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Rice
- Sugo Finto (discussed below)
Preparation:
To make about 20, Ada Boni suggests you begin by cooking a pound (400 g) of rice in the sauce of a stew or in sugo finto (fake sauce, see below). Don't let the rice overcook; when it is properly al dente remove it from the fire and season it with a dollop of butter, freshly grated Parmigiano to taste (I'd go with a half cup or so), and a couple of lightly beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly and pour the rice out onto a large plate, spreading it so it can cool quicker.In the meantime prepare the filling, which you can make more or less rich depending upon your preference. For example, it can be made with chicken giblets (with cock's combs and wattles thrown in if you have them), dried mushrooms, and shredded stewed meat. Sauté the giblets in a pan with a little lard and some finely sliced onion, and when the onion is light gold add a little bit of meat sauce and shredded meat and simmer. Steep the dried mushrooms in cool water, rinse them well, shred them, add them to the giblets, and continue simmering until everything is done, adding more liquid if necessary. You will also need diced provatura romana, a buffalo milk cheese similar to mozzarella, which is what I would substitute for it.
Take a healthy spoonful of cold rice and spread it over your left palm. Put some if the filling in the middle, with a couple of cubes of cheese. Fold the rice over the filling, to make something that looks like a rather large croquette, and roll it in breadcrumbs to coat it thoroughly. Repeat the process until all is used up and fry the supplì immediately in abundant hot oil until golden brown.
The sugo finto Mrs. Boni calls for is a standby of Roman cuisine, which "handily and economically replaces the sauce from stewed meat." To make it, she says, begin by putting a tablespoon of lard in a pan with half an onion, a rib of celery and a carrot, all chopped finely. While the mixture is sautéing add to it a pest made by grinding 2 ounces (50 grams) of cured lard or prosciutto fat, a half a clove of garlic, and a handful of parsley. Let the mixture cook over a moderate flame, stirring it every now and again, and adding a few tablespoons of water to give the soffritto time to cook without burning. When everything is reduced to a soft paste stir in a few tablespoons of thick tomato sauce and some water, season with salt and pepper, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. This volume of sauce will be sufficient to season pasta for six, and in summer plum tomatoes can be used instead of tomato sauce.
Ms. Boni doesn't say how much tomato to add, but to serve six you will want 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce. I would say about 1/2 cup of concentrated tomato sauce, or a cup of normal sauce, though you are of course free to vary this to suit your taste. In cooking the rice for supplì with this sauce I would follow the amounts she gives to make 2-3 cups and add more water, for fear that the rice come out too heavy if it is cooked in just sugo finto, at least the first time I made them. You will in any case want to stir the rice constantly as it cooks, lest it stick and burn, and you will also want to have simmering broth or water hands for when the rice finishes absorbing the sauce.
The wine? Colli Albani, Rome's classic white.
The beauty of the Internet is how it helps people interact.
Fabio Angelini writes,
"Congratulations for your recipe on suppli al telefono. It's one of the most faithful I've found around.
"However, there is a little suggestion which you might want to consider and it was something my grandmother taught me.
"In you recipe you say to roll the suppli in the breadcrumbs. Actually, it's not so easy. Simply rolling the suppli in the breadcrumbs means that when you fry them (and you should fry them in medium heat) most of the breadcrumbs will detach and possibly burn in the oil.
"In addition, the best suppli is the one where the crust is crunchy and golden.
"So the suppli must first be coated in flour. Only once you have finished coating all the supplis with flour (tecnique which allows your hands, when you are making them, not to get too sticky and messy), you go to the next step. Which is that you beat a couple of eggs in a bowl.
"Then you take the suppli one by one and first dip them in the egg and then in another bowl -where the breadcrumbs are- and with a slow circular motion you cover them with the breadcrumbs.
"Then you fry them, and believe me the final result is much much better.'
Cordially yours,
Fabio Angelini
P.S.
The same procedure applies for 'le cotolette panate' also known as "cotolette alla milanese'. First you coat them with flour, then go through the eggs and then you put the breadcrumbs.
