A Good Use for Leftover Risotto

I first had Suppli in an Italian restaurant in the Carroll Park section of Brooklyn. I hadn’t eaten much real Italian food before I started working in Brooklyn. What a wonderful surprise these were!

Suppli (Fried Stuffed Risotto Balls)

2 to 3 leftover cold risotto
½ pound mozzarella—cut into 24 cubes
½ cup flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
approx. 3 cups olive oil for frying – this is one time you don’t need to use extra virgin olive oil. The light kind works just as well.

Divide the risotto into 24 portions; roll each into a ball. Insert a cube
of mozzarella into each ball and reshape into a ball; these are the suppli.
Pour the flour in one plate, the eggs in a second plate, and the bread
crumbs in a third plate. Roll the suppli in the flour, then in the beaten
eggs, and finally in the bread crumbs. Heat the remaining olive oil to 350
in a 2-quart pot. Slip in 6 suppli at a time and cook, turning once, until
golden outside, about 3 minutes; remove the suppli with a slotted spoon and
blot dry on a double thickness of paper towels. Fry the remaining suppli in
the same manner and serve hot.


Don’t limit yourself to plain risotto. Any leftover risotto works well. I especially like mushroom risotto for rice balls. Some restaurants serve suppli with peas in the middle with the cheese.

Plan ahead. Make sure you make enough risotto to have leftovers.