Supplì al Telefono with Tomato Rice and Mozzarella

What you need

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 300 g (1 1/2 cups) arborio rice
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) tomato passata, plain, strained
• 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock, kept hot
• 60 g (2 oz) parmesan, finely grated, or pecorino romano
• 150 g (5 oz) firm mozzarella, drained, cut into 12 cubes of about 2 cm
• 2 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 150 g (1 1/2 cups) fine dry breadcrumbs
• 1 l (4 cups) sunflower oil, for deep frying
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until soft but not browned, 5-6 min.

2. 2

   Stir in the rice and toast for 1-2 min, until the grains look glassy at the edges.

3. 3

   Mix the passata and stock in a pot and keep it at a bare simmer beside the pan.

4. 4

   Add a ladle of the hot tomato stock to the rice and stir until the liquid disappears. Repeat ladle by ladle, stirring often, until the rice is tender with a slight bite and the risotto is thick, 16-18 min. You may not need all the liquid.

5. 5

   Stir in the parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

6. 6

   Spread the risotto in a thin layer on a large tray. Cool to room temperature, then chill at least 2 hours, or overnight, until cold and firm.

7. 7

   Put the eggs in one shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.

8. 8

   With damp hands, take about 65 g of risotto and flatten it in your palm. Press a cube of mozzarella into the middle and close the rice around it.

9. 9

   Roll the rice into an oval about 7 cm (3 in) long. Make 12.

10. 10

    Roll each oval in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs, pressing so the crust sticks. Chill the coated supplì for 15 min.

11. 11

    Pour the frying oil into a heavy pot to a depth of 6 cm (2 1/2 in) and heat to 180 °C (350 °F).

12. 12

    Fry 3-4 supplì at a time, turning once, until deep golden, 4-5 min.

13. 13

    Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Rest 3 min, then serve warm. Pulled apart, the mozzarella should stretch into a string like a telephone cord.

Imported from italianfoodforever.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.