Street food in Lazio
From Porchetta to Supplì, from Trapizzino to Maritozzo. In Lazio, street food is born from simple and "poor" recipes. Rome, of course. But that's not all. Even in the cuisine, and in particular in the one to be eaten on the street, Lazio offers a wide range of specialties ranging from the sea to the mountains, from the countryside to the cities. From the eternal one to the smaller towns. What distinguishes Lazio cuisine are its strong and intense flavors. A strength that distinguishes both table and street foods. Just think of milestones such as Amatriciana, Gricia, Cacio e Pepe, Coda alla Vaccinara, Abbacchio, just to name a few. Simple and "poor" recipes, often prepared with recycled ingredients, which are born from the people for the people, some would say. Yet it is the result of the mixture of influences, cultures and peoples who have always been at the center of history and humanity and have passed through and left traces. Lazio street food personifies all these characteristics, enhancing them if you want and maintaining its own autonomy. Street food here is not a habit, a fad. But a real distinctive element, a tradition, a way of being and living. And for those who visit this region, a different way to discover its beauties, including castles and unspoiled places, villages and cities.
Supplì
And here we are at another fixed point in the panorama of street food in Lazio and in this case in Rome. Legend has it that the term supplì derives from the French surprise: it would have been a French soldier walking through the streets of Rome to be amazed by the mozzarella filling of the delicacy that he was biting exclaiming "Surprise". A term that was later mangled into the Roman "Supplì". Certainly, the French also have something to do with its diffusion in Rome, having brought Sicilian traditions (and that of the Arancina or Arancino) during the rise of Italy in the Napoleonic era.
Regardless of the origin of the name, this ovoid-shaped masterpiece made by frying a rice ball stuffed with meat sauce and mozzarella was invented in Rome in the early nineteenth century. Sold on the street during neighborhood festivals, fairs, at the market or on street corners, it made its appearance on the menus of restaurants - or rather trattorias in the city - starting from the seventies of the same century. The first written recipe is attributed to Ada Boni, who wrote it in 1929 in her "La cucina romana". Over the decades, different variants have been created: from the one with fake sauce, i.e. without meat, to the one with chicken entrails, from the one with mushrooms to the one with stewed meat. Prepared only with meat sauce, this traditional recipe has a crunchy outer breading that hides a heart of mozzarella. Not to be confused with the Sicilian arancino: it has an ancient history and a name of French origin.
Although supplì and arancini may seem to resemble each other, the differences that divide them are numerous. The Roman dish has the shape of an elongated meatball, is made exclusively with rice with meat sauce and has a mozzarella heart. The arancino, on the other hand, can be found in many forms, it is larger, and can have the most varied fillings. Another substantial difference lies in the breading: the supplì are dipped in the egg to retain the breadcrumbs before frying, while for the arancini the batter is used. The original recipe of the Roman specialty calls for the sauce to be made with chicken giblets (durelli and fagatini). Over the years, this custom has fallen into disuse and today it is preferred to prepare the ragù with simple minced meat to give the supplì a more delicate flavor. Supplì al telefono are a typical Lazio recipe, not to be confused with rice balls: their name refers to the mozzarella contained inside that melts during cooking creating an appetizing stringy effect, to be discovered only at the first bite!
INGREDIENTS
Superfine rice 500 gMinced beef 150 gChicken livers 60 gMozzarella 200 gDried mushrooms 50 gMedium eggs 2Tomato puree 400 gMeat broth 1 lGrana Padano 120 gHalf onionsButter + 50 g for creaming 30 gWhite wine 100 MlExtra virgin olive oil 2 TablespoonsFine salt to tasteBlack pepper to taste
FOR BREADING AND FRYINGBreadcrumbs to tasteEggs 2Peanut oil to taste
PREPARATION
Start the preparation of the homemade rice supplì on the phone by coarsely chopping the chicken livers. Then melt the butter with the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and the minced meat, then let it brown; Add the chopped livers and mushrooms previously soaked, squeezed and chopped. Let it brown for another minutes and then deglaze with the wine 4 and add the tomato puree. Add salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the sauce has shrunk and thickened. When the sauce is ready, add the rice and, stirring often, cook the rice, adding, when necessary, some meat broth until the risotto is dry and compact. Turn off the heat and add the butter and grated parmesan cheese; Mix well and then add the two beaten eggs. Stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated and combined, then pour the mixture onto a large flat plate and let it cool completely. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into small pieces or strips and put it to drain in a colander, so that it loses excess water. When the rice is cold, form the supplì by taking a little of the mixture with wet hands to which you will give an oval shape: insert a couple of pieces of mozzarella inside and in the center of the supplì, then close tightly. Do this until all the ingredients are used up. Once you have all the supplì, dip them in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure that the breadcrumbs stick to all sides. Then fry the supplì over the phone in plenty of hot oil (at least 180°) turning them several times over the entire surface, which should be more than golden. The supplì will have to float in the oil, which will then have to be abundant. If you want to avoid using large amounts of oil, use a rather small and tall saucepan, or, for greater convenience, use a deep fryer. Place the supplì on the phone to drain on a sheet of paper towel and serve hot.
PRESERVATIONIf you have prepared a large amount of rice supplì, I recommend that you fry them all and then, once cooled, you can store them and use them when needed.
ADVICEOne of the secrets to the success of rice supplì is frying, which must take place in boiling oil at 180°C. In order to prevent the supplì from darkening too much on the surface and, on the contrary, keeping them too little in the oil does not succeed in obtaining the "telephone" effect, turn them often.
From Porchetta to Supplì, from Trapizzino to Maritozzo. In Lazio, street food is born from simple and "poor" recipes. Rome, of course. But that's not all. Even in the cuisine, and in particular in the one to be eaten on the street, Lazio offers a wide range of specialties ranging from the sea to the mountains, from the countryside to the cities. From the eternal one to the smaller towns. What distinguishes Lazio cuisine are its strong and intense flavors. A strength that distinguishes both table and street foods. Just think of milestones such as Amatriciana, Gricia, Cacio e Pepe, Coda alla Vaccinara, Abbacchio, just to name a few. Simple and "poor" recipes, often prepared with recycled ingredients, which are born from the people for the people, some would say. Yet it is the result of the mixture of influences, cultures and peoples who have always been at the center of history and humanity and have passed through and left traces. Lazio street food personifies all these characteristics, enhancing them if you want and maintaining its own autonomy. Street food here is not a habit, a fad. But a real distinctive element, a tradition, a way of being and living. And for those who visit this region, a different way to discover its beauties, including castles and unspoiled places, villages and cities.
Supplì
And here we are at another fixed point in the panorama of street food in Lazio and in this case in Rome. Legend has it that the term supplì derives from the French surprise: it would have been a French soldier walking through the streets of Rome to be amazed by the mozzarella filling of the delicacy that he was biting exclaiming "Surprise". A term that was later mangled into the Roman "Supplì". Certainly, the French also have something to do with its diffusion in Rome, having brought Sicilian traditions (and that of the Arancina or Arancino) during the rise of Italy in the Napoleonic era.
Regardless of the origin of the name, this ovoid-shaped masterpiece made by frying a rice ball stuffed with meat sauce and mozzarella was invented in Rome in the early nineteenth century. Sold on the street during neighborhood festivals, fairs, at the market or on street corners, it made its appearance on the menus of restaurants - or rather trattorias in the city - starting from the seventies of the same century. The first written recipe is attributed to Ada Boni, who wrote it in 1929 in her "La cucina romana". Over the decades, different variants have been created: from the one with fake sauce, i.e. without meat, to the one with chicken entrails, from the one with mushrooms to the one with stewed meat. Prepared only with meat sauce, this traditional recipe has a crunchy outer breading that hides a heart of mozzarella. Not to be confused with the Sicilian arancino: it has an ancient history and a name of French origin.
Although supplì and arancini may seem to resemble each other, the differences that divide them are numerous. The Roman dish has the shape of an elongated meatball, is made exclusively with rice with meat sauce and has a mozzarella heart. The arancino, on the other hand, can be found in many forms, it is larger, and can have the most varied fillings. Another substantial difference lies in the breading: the supplì are dipped in the egg to retain the breadcrumbs before frying, while for the arancini the batter is used. The original recipe of the Roman specialty calls for the sauce to be made with chicken giblets (durelli and fagatini). Over the years, this custom has fallen into disuse and today it is preferred to prepare the ragù with simple minced meat to give the supplì a more delicate flavor. Supplì al telefono are a typical Lazio recipe, not to be confused with rice balls: their name refers to the mozzarella contained inside that melts during cooking creating an appetizing stringy effect, to be discovered only at the first bite!
INGREDIENTS
Superfine rice 500 g
Minced beef 150 g
Chicken livers 60 g
Mozzarella 200 g
Dried mushrooms 50 g
Medium eggs 2
Tomato puree 400 g
Meat broth 1 l
Grana Padano 120 g
Half onions
Butter + 50 g for creaming 30 g
White wine 100 Ml
Extra virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons
Fine salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
FOR BREADING AND FRYING
Breadcrumbs to taste
Eggs 2
Peanut oil to taste
PREPARATION
Start the preparation of the homemade rice supplì on the phone by coarsely chopping the chicken livers. Then melt the butter with the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and the minced meat, then let it brown; Add the chopped livers and mushrooms previously soaked, squeezed and chopped. Let it brown for another minutes and then deglaze with the wine 4 and add the tomato puree. Add salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the sauce has shrunk and thickened. When the sauce is ready, add the rice and, stirring often, cook the rice, adding, when necessary, some meat broth until the risotto is dry and compact. Turn off the heat and add the butter and grated parmesan cheese; Mix well and then add the two beaten eggs. Stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated and combined, then pour the mixture onto a large flat plate and let it cool completely. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into small pieces or strips and put it to drain in a colander, so that it loses excess water. When the rice is cold, form the supplì by taking a little of the mixture with wet hands to which you will give an oval shape: insert a couple of pieces of mozzarella inside and in the center of the supplì, then close tightly. Do this until all the ingredients are used up. Once you have all the supplì, dip them in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure that the breadcrumbs stick to all sides. Then fry the supplì over the phone in plenty of hot oil (at least 180°) turning them several times over the entire surface, which should be more than golden. The supplì will have to float in the oil, which will then have to be abundant. If you want to avoid using large amounts of oil, use a rather small and tall saucepan, or, for greater convenience, use a deep fryer. Place the supplì on the phone to drain on a sheet of paper towel and serve hot.
PRESERVATION
If you have prepared a large amount of rice supplì, I recommend that you fry them all and then, once cooled, you can store them and use them when needed.
ADVICE
One of the secrets to the success of rice supplì is frying, which must take place in boiling oil at 180°C. In order to prevent the supplì from darkening too much on the surface and, on the contrary, keeping them too little in the oil does not succeed in obtaining the "telephone" effect, turn them often.
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