Suppli are often explained by the cheese pull, but the pull only works when the rice shell is dry enough to seal. Wet rice splits, and wet mozzarella turns that split into a blowout.
We use the common Roman tomato-and-meat version and keep the older offal branch as history, not a requirement. The important work is cooling the rice flat, drying the cheese, sealing each croquette tightly, and frying hot enough for a crisp shell.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Cook the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat for 6 minutes, until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until no pink remains.
Stir in the tomato passata and simmer 15 minutes, until thick. Add the rice and cook 1 minute, stirring so the grains are coated.
Add hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often, until the rice is tender but thick and dry, 18 to 20 minutes. The spoon should stand briefly in the mixture.
Stir in the grated hard cheese, then spread the rice thinly on a parchment-lined sheet. Cool 20 minutes, cover, and chill at least 45 minutes.
Pat the mozzarella sticks dry. Scoop 2.5 oz chilled rice into your palm, press in a cheese stick, and close the rice around it in an oval. No cheese should show.
Dip each suppli in beaten egg, then coat well with breadcrumbs. Press gently so the crust adheres and chill the shaped croquettes for 15 minutes.
Heat peanut oil to 350°F. Fry in batches for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and hot in the center.
Drain on a rack and rest 2 minutes before serving. Suppli are oval and Roman; arancini are Sicilian, often larger, and shaped or filled differently.
You made Suppli. Time to eat.
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The rice should feel almost too stiff when cold. That is what lets it seal around the cheese and survive the fryer.
Six Italian regions. Nothing reformulated. Imported direct.
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