Cacio all’Argentiera
Seared caciocavallo with vinegar, garlic and oregano
Thick caciocavallo slices briefly seared in garlic oil and finished with vinegar and oregano, a traditional Palermo cheese dish.
Palermo, Sicily
The regional version.
Palermo’s seared caciocavallo preparation, finished with a wine-vinegar and oregano dressing.
- Semi-mature caciocavallo is seared in substantial slices.
- Vinegar and oregano provide the characteristic finishing aroma.
- The dish is sometimes called falso coniglio despite containing no rabbit.
Technique: seared caciocavallo with vinegar, garlic and oregano
Keep the cheese cold until it meets the hot pan. Very young cheese can collapse before a crust forms; very old cheese becomes oily and tough.
The recipe
Cacio all’Argentiera
Ingredients
Main
Method
- 1
Cut chilled caciocavallo into even slices about 8 mm thick. Dry the surfaces with kitchen paper.
- 2
Warm oil and garlic in a heavy non-stick pan until fragrant; remove garlic before it burns.
- 3
Add a few cheese slices with space between them. Sear without moving for about 1–2 minutes, until a crust forms.
- 4
Turn carefully with a broad spatula and cook the other face briefly, keeping the centres soft but the slices intact.
- 5
Add vinegar around the cheese, sprinkle oregano and pepper, and let the vinegar bubble for about 30 seconds.
- 6
Transfer immediately to warm plates and spoon over the pan juices; repeat for remaining slices if cooking in batches.
The version on this page
Palermo’s seared caciocavallo preparation, finished with a wine-vinegar and oregano dressing.
- Semi-mature caciocavallo is seared in substantial slices.
- Vinegar and oregano provide the characteristic finishing aroma.
- The dish is sometimes called falso coniglio despite containing no rabbit.
Cooking it well
Keep the cheese cold until it meets the hot pan. Very young cheese can collapse before a crust forms; very old cheese becomes oily and tough.
Serving and planning
Serve immediately with bread and a tomato salad. It is a rich cheese course rather than a melting cheese dip.
Explore the Sicilian cooking guide for related dishes and pantry notes.
Storage
Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate any cooked leftovers promptly and use within 1 day.
Freezing
Freezing cooked cheese slices is not recommended for texture.
Reheating
Warm briefly in a non-stick pan; repeated cooking makes the cheese tougher.
Keep cooking
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