Il Falsomagro: one of the most iconic second courses in Sicilian cuisine

01/05/2026

We reluctantly say goodbye to the Christmas holiday season, but we do it with pleasure by bringing to the table a traditional festive dish, especially in Sicily: falsomagro. A recipe filled with tradition, flavor, and the warmth of home, perfect for ending the festive season deliciously.

Today our Cesarina Patrizia, straight from Licata, is ready to reveal her secret to preparing her version of this dish at its best.

“This recipe was always prepared by my grandmother during the holidays, and then it was passed down to my mother. It’s a complete dish: its rich and flavorful sauce can even accompany a good plate of pasta, and if homemade… even better!”

Falsomagro

In Catania, Christmas isn’t truly Christmas without falsomagro, a rich and flavorful dish that is a must on festive tables. Known in Sicilian dialect as bruciuluni or farsumagru, it is a traditional second course of the island’s cuisine, whose filling varies slightly depending on the area, making each version unique and special.
Falsomagro takes its name from the hidden filling: a slice of rolled beef tied with kitchen twine that encloses a rich mixture of ground meat, eggs, mortadella, and cheese.

This curious name comes from the dish’s deceptive appearance: at first glance, it looks like a simple large beef roll, but in reality it hides much more inside. The real magic is revealed only when slicing it, when the rich and flavorful filling appears.

Sumptuous and tasty, falsomagro is perfect for the holidays, to celebrate special moments with loved ones. And if there are leftovers, no worries: reheated the next day it becomes even more delicious, because the flavors have had time to blend and intensify.

Falsomagro

The main course that hides a surprise in every slice: a tasty filling of eggs, mortadella, and cheese

DifficultyMedium

Preparation time2h

Cooking time1h

Servings4

€

CostMedium

Ingredients

1 kg veal topside in a single large slice about 1 cm thick
4 hard-boiled eggs
150 g mortadella
200 g caciocavallo cheese
1 medium onion
Parsley to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
800 g tomato purée
Celery, carrots, onion, bay leaves to taste
1 glass of red wine
Kitchen twine or toothpicks

Method

Lay the veal topside on a cutting board and open it out well. If it is too thick, gently pound it with a meat mallet.
Place the slices of mortadella on the veal, followed by the hard-boiled eggs cut into slices, the onion cut into thin slices, and the caciocavallo cheese cut into small pieces; then lightly sprinkle parsley, salt, and pepper over the entire surface.
Roll the meat up tightly to form a roulade and secure it with kitchen twine so the filling doesn’t spill out during cooking.
Take a pot large enough to comfortably hold the roulade (you’ll need to turn it easily while browning).
In the pot, prepare a sauté with olive oil, celery, carrots, and onion.
When well browned, add the meat and brown it on all sides.
Adjust the salt and deglaze with red wine.
When everything is nicely browned, add the tomato purée and bay leaves, and cook over medium heat until it starts to boil.
Then lower the heat and cook for about an hour. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little water. The sauce should be dense.

Cesarina Patrizia’s tips:

Falsomagro can be served with mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, or plain white rice.
The sauce is excellent for dressing a good plate of pasta, as it contains all the flavor released by the meat.