Utica greens is a side dish made primarily with escarole, a bitter leafy green, cooked with peppers, garlic, prosciutto, and Romano cheese. It is a signature dish of the Italian American community of Utica, New York. The recipe has been handed down as a family tradition of Italian immigrants who settled in East Utica in the late 19th century. The dish also is known simply as escarole or greens Morelle after restauranteur Joe Morelle who began serving the dish at his New York establishment Chesterfield’s in 1988. Utica greens is celebrated in the city it’s named for every autumn at the annual Utica Greens Fest.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 1 head escarole, rinsed and chopped
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup prosciutto, diced
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 hot pickled cherry peppers, deseeded and chopped
- ½ cup water
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup dry breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Romano cheese, grated
Directions
- Blanch the escarole in boiling salt water for 2 minutes.
- Drain escarole and rinse under cold water.
- Pour the olive oil into a large oven-safe frying pan and set it over medium heat.
- Add the prosciutto and onion to the hot oil and cook for 3–5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to cook for 3–5 minutes.
- Add the escarole, cherry peppers, and water, stirring to combine.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Continue cooking 7–8 minutes, until the escarole is wilted.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese.
- Brown the dish in the broiler of an oven, if desired.
- Serve hot.
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