makes
22
cook
1:45 hour
difficulty
Mid
makes
22
serves
cooking
1:45
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
The other thing that you find everywhere you go in Rome is cacio e pepe, another very humble dish. It’s made with pepper and cheese. Now, normally it’s done with pasta, but I wanted to do a risotto, done into a suppli, in the flavor of cacio e pepe.
Ingredients
Risotto
- 5¾ cups chicken stock
- 1½ tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 2 cups finely chopped onions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
- ⅔ cup dry white wine
- ⅔ cup grated Pecorino cheese
- 55 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
Suppli
- 2 cups Cacio e Pepe Risotto, cooled
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Pecorino cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 large eggs, beaten to blend
- Freshly ground black pepper
- About 250 g (9 oz) whole-milk mozzarella cheese, cut into 1.5-2 cm (¾-inch) cubes
- Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
Chilling time: at least 3 hours.
If serving as a risotto, serves 6.
Instructions
- For risotto, bring stock to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Cover stock and keep warm over very low heat.
- Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in rice. Add wine; cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of hot stock; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding more stock by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes.
- Mix in the Pecorino cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
- Serve immediately, or if making Cacio e Pepe Supplì, spoon risotto over small baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate until cold (or for up to one day).
- To make suppli, in a large bowl, mix risotto, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, ½ cup of Pecorino cheese, and eggs with black pepper to taste.
- In small baking sheet, place remaining breadcrumbs. Using about ¼ cup of risotto mixture for each cube of mozzarella cheese, form risotto mixture around cheese cubes to enclose completely and form into 5 cm (2 inch) diameter balls. Roll balls in breadcrumbs to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until set. (Coated unfried rice balls can be made 2 weeks ahead, stored airtight in a single layer and frozen.)
- In large heavy pot, add enough oil to reach depth of 3 inches and heat over medium heat to 180°C (350°F).
- Working in batches, add rice balls to hot oil and cook until brown and heated through, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer rice balls to trivet set over a baking sheet to drain. Let rest 2 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Pecorino and serve hot.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
The other thing that you find everywhere you go in Rome is cacio e pepe, another very humble dish. It’s made with pepper and cheese. Now, normally it’s done with pasta, but I wanted to do a risotto, done into a suppli, in the flavor of cacio e pepe.
