Chef Graziella
Arancini alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab culinary influence meets Italian home cooking. The saffron-perfumed rice conceals a heart of slow-simmered ragù and sweet peas.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Supplì al Telefono
Created by
Rome's beloved rice croquettes, crisp and golden outside, hiding molten mozzarella that stretches into telephone wires when you break them open. Street food that proves frying is a noble art.
Appetizers & Snacks
Italian, Roman
Potluck
Comfort Food
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 30 min cook•2 hr 15 min total
Yield24 supplì
In Rome, supplì are sold from glass cases in pizzerias and rosticcerie, grabbed hot and eaten standing on the sidewalk. They are not fancy. They are not complicated. They are, when made correctly, one of the most satisfying things you can put in your mouth.
The name 'al telefono' comes from the mozzarella. When you bite through the crisp coating and pull the two halves apart, the cheese stretches into long, thin strings that resemble telephone wires. This only happens when the supplì is hot and the cheese is properly melted. Cold supplì are not supplì al telefono. They are simply disappointment.
The foundation is risotto cooked with a simple tomato ragù. Americans often confuse supplì with arancini, the rice balls of Sicily. They are cousins, not twins. Arancini are larger, often stuffed with ragù and peas, sometimes round, sometimes pear-shaped. Supplì are smaller, always oval, always filled with mozzarella, always Roman. Do not conflate them. Romans find this irritating.
Supplì emerged in 19th-century Rome as a way to use leftover risotto, transformed by resourceful cooks into something better than the original dish. The name likely derives from the French 'surprise,' referring to the hidden cheese center. By the early 20th century, they had become fixtures of Roman street food culture, sold alongside pizza bianca and fiori di zucca.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 small
diced fine
ground beef
Quantity
8 ounces
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
San Marzano tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
unsalted butter
Quantity
4 tablespoons
Arborio or Carnaroli rice
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
chicken broth
Quantity
4 cups
warm
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/2 cup
freshly grated
eggs for rice
Quantity
2 large
beaten
fresh mozzarella
Quantity
8 ounces
cut into 24 small cubes
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
eggs for breading
Quantity
3 large
beaten with 2 tablespoons water
fine dried breadcrumbs
Quantity
2 cups
vegetable oil
Quantity
about 6 cups
for frying
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| yellow oniondiced fine | 1 small |
| ground beef | 8 ounces |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| San Marzano tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| unsalted butter | 4 tablespoons |
| Arborio or Carnaroli rice | 1 1/2 cups |
| chicken brothwarm | 4 cups |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/2 cup |
| eggs for ricebeaten | 2 large |
| fresh mozzarellacut into 24 small cubes | 8 ounces |
| all-purpose flour | 1 1/2 cups |
| eggs for breadingbeaten with 2 tablespoons water | 3 large |
| fine dried breadcrumbs | 2 cups |
| vegetable oilfor frying | about 6 cups |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart saucepan for ragù
- •Wide heavy pot for risotto
- •Deep heavy pot for frying
- •Instant-read or candy thermometer
- •Wire cooling rack
- •Rimmed baking sheets
Instructions
- 1
Make the ragù
In a heavy saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook slowly until completely soft and pale gold, about 12 minutes. Do not brown it. Add the ground beef and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until it loses its raw color, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
- 2
Add wine and tomatoes
Pour in the wine and let it bubble until evaporated completely. Add the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, until thick and concentrated, about 30 minutes. The ragù should be dense, not watery. Set aside to cool.
The ragù can be made a day ahead. Cold ragù is easier to mix into the rice without making it soggy. - 3
Cook the rice
In a wide, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes to coat each grain. The rice should become translucent at the edges. Add warm broth one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently, waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next. This takes about 18 minutes. The rice should be tender but still have a slight firmness at the center.
The rice for supplì should be slightly wetter than risotto served at table. It will firm up as it cools. - 4
Combine rice and ragù
Remove the rice from heat. Stir in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and the cooled ragù. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the 2 beaten eggs. The eggs bind everything together. Season with salt if needed. Spread the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer. Refrigerate until completely cold and firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
- 5
Shape the supplì
Wet your hands lightly to prevent sticking. Take about 2 tablespoons of the cold rice mixture and flatten it in your palm. Place one cube of mozzarella in the center. Mold the rice around the cheese, forming an oval shape about the size of a small egg. The mozzarella must be completely enclosed. Set on a parchment-lined tray. Repeat with the remaining rice and cheese.
If the rice is too soft to shape, refrigerate it longer. Cold rice is obedient. Warm rice is not. - 6
Bread the supplì
Set up three shallow dishes: flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, breadcrumbs in the third. Roll each supplì in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in egg, letting the excess drip off. Roll thoroughly in breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on a clean tray. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the coating.
- 7
Fry until golden
In a deep, heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350°F. The oil should be at least 3 inches deep. Fry the supplì in batches of 4 or 5, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Do not crowd the pot. The temperature will drop if you add too many at once, and they will absorb oil and become greasy.
Use a thermometer. Guessing oil temperature is how people ruin fried food. Too cool, the coating absorbs oil. Too hot, the outside burns before the cheese melts. - 8
Drain and serve immediately
Transfer the fried supplì to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Let them rest for 1 minute only. The mozzarella inside should be melted and stretchy, pulling into long strings when you bite through the crust. This is why they are called 'al telefono.' Serve immediately. They wait for no one.
Chef Tips
- •Fresh mozzarella, not the dry blocks sold pre-shredded, is essential. The cheese must melt into strings. Dry mozzarella does not stretch properly.
- •The rice mixture must be cold before shaping. Attempt this with warm rice and you will have a mess on your hands, literally.
- •Supplì can be shaped and breaded several hours ahead, kept refrigerated on a tray. Fry them just before serving. They cannot be reheated successfully.
- •If you want extra insurance against leaking, double-bread them: flour, egg, crumbs, then egg and crumbs again. This creates a thicker armor.
Advance Preparation
- •The ragù can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
- •The rice mixture can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. In fact, this is preferred. Cold rice shapes more easily.
- •Shaped and breaded supplì can be refrigerated for up to 6 hours before frying.
- •Once fried, supplì must be served immediately. There is no holding them, no reheating them. Plan accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 85g)
Calories
260 calories
Total Fat
16 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
55 mg
Sodium
230 mg
Total Carbohydrates
19 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
8 g
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