Suppl\u00ec<\/em> are oblong and round-tipped, like a pill big enough for a T-rex. To make them, you always need pre-cooked, short-grain rice (often arborio<\/em> or carnaroli<\/em>, the same rice used for risotto), mixed with grated cheese and whatever other flavoring you desire. In Rome, the rice is typically mixed with either plain tomato sauce or a light rag\u00f9 <\/em>with ground beef. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The most common embellishment is to prepare them al telefono<\/em>, literally \u201ctelephone-style.\u201d A small knob of mozzarella is enclosed in the rice before the little football is breaded and fried. The heat partially melts the mozzarella, so that when you crack open the suppl\u00cc<\/em> and pull the two halves apart, a wire of stretchy cheese connects them, like an old-fashioned telephone. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n