Keith Endo and I have much in common: We went to the same elementary school in Hilo (Kapiolani), we work in the same complex (Waterfront Plaza). He makes food; I write about it. And this year, we both took trips to Rome.

I decided to exploit all these connections by walking over to his restaurant, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, and having him teach me to make a Roman dish, something we’d both sampled on our trips.

Endo, Vino’s executive chef, suggested suppli, a common street food. Essentially each one is a ball of rice wrap­ped around a ball of cheese, the lot of it deep-fried. Done right and served fresh, suppli are super- crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with an ooey-gooey center of melted cheese.

Endo loves suppli — this comes across when he mimes breaking into one and pulling apart the two halves so that the cheese drips down in a string that stretches out like elastic. The thought of it makes him smile. Makes me hungry.

Suppli are similar to another Italian fried food, arancini, which can be found on many menus locally. Arancini hail from Sicily, suppli from Rome; arancini tend to be spheres, suppli are elongated (Endo makes his into bricks shaped like Spam musubi). Suppli incorporate a ragu sauce and that cheesy center, while arancini fillings vary, with meat and peas being a classic.

Arancini has become a fusion favorite, showing up with all manner of fillings, and often outside of Italian restaurants.

On the other hand, Endo said he hasn’t seen much suppli in Hawaii, and hopes to add it to the regular menu at Vino.

He notes that suppli require rice, a tomato-based sauce, cheese and breadcrumbs.

“These are the basics; you can change it up however you want.”

Endo’s version yields a delicious, indulgent, flavorful, crunchy-chewy treat. Despite the richness of the filling, it is surprisingly light. That’s how suppli should be, he said. In Rome, “it has to be, because they eat it in the daytime or as a snack, so it can’t be heavy — they gotta go back to work.”

His full recipe is what I’d call “aspirational” — as in you could aspire to making all the components, which include a risotto (with saffron), plus a ragu made with veal and fennel sausage that he makes himself.

But as a practical matter, you may want to cut some corners. Go as simple as using leftover rice and jarred spaghetti sauce. Or aim for a middle ground, using your own tomato-based sauce and perhaps risotto left over from a restaurant meal. Follow up with the cheese, breadcrumbs and deep-frying, and you’ll have a basic supply of suppli.

Endo said working with ingredients at hand is in the suppli spirit.

“It’s kinda like Rome’s version of fried rice,” he said, “a way to use up leftovers.”

SUPPLI (EXPERT VERSION)

By Chef Keith Endo, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar

• 8 1-inch balls fresh mozzarella (or cut larger mozzarella pieces into cubes)
• 1-2 cups flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3-4 cups herbed fine breadcrumbs (Vino’s are made from scratch, but you could grind up commercially prepared croutons)
• Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• >> Risotto:
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound uncooked arborio rice (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup white wine
• 3-4 cups boiling water
• 2 teaspoons saffron (optional)
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese
• >> Ragu:
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons diced carrots
• 2 tablespoons diced celery
• 1/4 pound ground veal (or ground beef)
• 1 pork sausage with fennel (such as Italian sausage), casing removed
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes with puree
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste

>> To make risotto: In a medium pot, saute onions and garlic in oil on medium-high heat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add rice; saute 3 minutes, then deglaze pot with wine.

Add water 1/2 cup at a time, letting rice absorb the liquid between additions, until rice is tender (about 20 minutes total time). Stir in saffron, if using, and butter. Stir in cheese. Spread on plate and chill 30 to 45 minutes, while making ragu.

>> To make ragu: In a large pot on medium-high, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery; saute 5 to 6 minutes.

Add veal and sausage; saute 6 to 7 minutes, until brown, breaking up sausage.

Add tomatoes and wine; reduce heat to low; simmer 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

To make suppli: Stir ragu 1/4 cup at a time into chilled rice, until rice is soft and will hold its shape when molded (should not be soupy; you may not need all the sauce).

Pat 1/4 cup of rice mixture into a patty about 3 inches across. Place a mozzarella piece in center and fold rice over cheese. Form into a brick (a rectangle about the size of a Spam musubi). Repeat to make 8 suppli (if you have extra rice or ragu, they are delicious on their own). Refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in deep pot.

Coat suppli lightly in flour, then beaten egg. Roll in breadcrumbs to coat well. Deep-fry 5 to 6 minutes (test by poking with a skewer to make sure cheese is soft and hot). Drain on paper towels. Serves 8.

SUPPLI (EASY VERSION)

Instead of making ragu and risotto from scratch, use 1/2 cup prepared ragu sauce (from a jar, or your own sauce, perhaps leftover from a spaghetti dinner) and 2 cups cooked rice (plain white or brown rice, or leftover fried rice or risotto).

Stir the sauce into the rice, then proceed with Endo’s recipe as written. Makes 4 suppli.

(Other leftovers, such as sauteed mushrooms, can be added to the filling.)

Nutritional information unavailable.

UNDERGROUND DINNER MENU

Chef Keith Endo is introducing his suppli on an “underground menu” — a monthly chef’s choice dinner for just a dozen people. Dinners are filled through August; for info on future dinners follow #vinochef table on Instagram.

Endo has added nine items to the Vino menu inspired by his recent trip to Rome and Milan. These include a saffron risotto much like the one used in his suppli recipe on the next page.

Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar is in Waterfront Plaza; call 524-8466.

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