Supplì

Ingredients

For the rice

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 320 g carnaroli or arborio rice
• 250 g tomato passata
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock
• 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
• Fine sea salt

To fill, coat and fry

• 150 g mild provola or firm mozzarella, cut into 12 batons
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 300 g fine dried breadcrumbs
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for deep-frying

Method

1. Cook the rice Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and soften the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice for 1 minute, add the passata, then the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring, for 16 to 18 minutes, until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and fairly dry. Stir in the Parmesan and season.
2. Cool Spread the rice on a large tray in a layer about 2 cm deep and leave for 1 hour, until completely cold and firm enough to shape.
3. Shape With wet hands, take a heaped tablespoon of rice (about 70 g), flatten it in your palm, lay a baton of cheese in the middle and close the rice round it into an oval, sealing well.
4. Coat Roll each supplì in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs, pressing so that the coating is even and there are no gaps.
5. Fry Heat the oil in a deep, heavy saucepan, no more than a third full, to 175°C. Fry three or four at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning, until deep golden and hot enough inside for the cheese to melt. Drain on kitchen paper and eat hot.

Food safety

Deep-frying: never fill the pan more than a third full, never leave hot oil unattended and keep a lid to hand. Cooked rice should be cooled quickly and shaped and fried the same day; do not leave it at room temperature for more than an hour or two.