Provoleta

Provoleta is a thick disc of provolone cheese grilled directly on the parrilla until the outside chars into a firm skin and the inside turns molten. It's the starter that opens most Argentine asados, put on the grill first specifically because it cooks fast enough to feed everyone while the real cuts of beef are still hours away.

What it really is

A firm, aged provolone — cut thick enough to hold its shape as it melts — goes straight onto the hot grate, sometimes in a small metal dish or wrapped loosely to keep it from running through the bars entirely. The direct heat chars the underside into a dark, blistered skin that holds the melted cheese inside it, and a scattering of dried oregano and a drizzle of olive oil finish it the moment it comes off the grill. It has to be eaten immediately, since the cheese firms back up fast once it cools.

The char is deliberate, not a mistake. A provoleta with an unmarked, pale surface hasn't spent long enough on the grill; the blackened crust is what holds the molten interior together and gives the dish its texture contrast.

How it's served

• Straight from the grill in its own small dish, still bubbling.
• With crusty bread for scooping up the melted cheese.
• As the opening course of an asado, before the meat itself arrives.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the dairy.
• It's naturally vegetarian, making it a reliable starter option at a meat-heavy grill.
• Serve it immediately once it's off the grill, since it firms up quickly as it cools.