Suppli
“Lucky you”….. I have heard many times. “Living in the country , among the Umbrian hills … …. It’s like always being on holiday. Peace and quiet, no traffic, no city chaos “… … …Yes, Yes, it’s all true , but you forget the hassle of putting on the fire every day for seven month ( lots and lots of wood to chop and bring in).Plus ,the fact that at 4.30 pm It’s completely dark ,because there are no street lights. No corner shop to pop across the road to , or bar to nip in for a quick drink. No , the main activity in the evening, outside my house, is the coming and going of wild boars looking for a few roots to munch.. Any way that’s nothing. Even worse can happen! Like on Sunday morning , when I woke up and thought …today I’d love to eat a good Suppli !!!
A real drama.
The Suppli are a typical Roman street food , for the uninitiated, they are rice balls, cooked with a tomato sauce and a melted mozzarella heart. Rolled in breadcrumbs and then fried!
When I lived in Rome years ago, I was not far from old working class area known as Trastevere. So, with my bike I could easy cycle to Piazza Re di Roma and go to the House of Suppli or just a little bit further on to Franchi in Via Cola di Rienzo, where the Suppli are a delight.
So , coming back to my drama….I thought, where can I find a good suppli, now. Not around here, that’s for sure !!!!! There was only one answer, I had to do it myself. Honestly it was the first time for me, but considering the result it will not be the last. By 5pm I was eating my SupplI and looking out the window at the darkness of the countryside, just a couple of lights from distant houses were on , it was so peaceful ….so I thought …. I do love living here!
For 10 Suppli you’ll need:
250 gr. Carnaroli rice
½ medium onion ,finely chopped
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
Evo oil
Salt and pepper
500 gr. Fresh tomatoes passata
150 ml white wine
100lm vegetable stock
20 gr. grated Parmesan
1 egg
150 gr. Mozzarella
70 gr. Breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for frying.
Here’s how:
Cook for few minutes onions and garlic in Evo oil, until tender. Add the rice and fry for few minutes more. Add the wine and cook a little longer. Add the tomato passata and simmer, stirring often, until the liquid has been absorbed. Gradually add the stock to finish the cooking. The rice should be a little al dente and quite dry. Leave it to cool for 5 minute and then add egg , parmesan and pepper. Mix well and leave it to cool at room temperature. Divide the mozzarella in to 10 small cubes. Take a big spoon of rice in to your palm and work it into a cup shape. Put the cube of mozzarella in the middle and roll the rice all around to make a long ball shape. Repeat for the other 9. Roll the rice ball in breadcrumbs , making sure the crumbs stick well. Fry the supply in plenty of Vegetable oil at 180 degree, until lightly browned. Whit a kitchen paper drying excess oil. Serve hot.
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