Utica Greens

Utica Greens are pretty much my favorite Central New York food and after our recent trip, I realized it was kind of silly that I had never tried making them myself. The beauty of this recipe is that you can really apply it to just about any green. The original recipe calls for one large escarole, but I used kale since it’s abundant at the farmer’s market.

For this recipe, you will need:

1 large escarole (I used a large bunch of kale)
4 slices prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 long italian hot peppers, seeded and julienned (I used several tablespoons of pickled ground cherry peppers I found at the grocery store, which worked well because vinegar tends to complement greens)
½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Clean and rinse escarole twice, then chop in large pieces. Boil down for 5 or 6 minutes so it’s tender and wilted.

Place olive oil in an oven-safe skillet and heat. Add chopped garlic and prosciutto and render for 2 or 3 minutes.

Add seeded peppers and cook another minute or so. Add the escarole and all the other ingredients in the pan.

Gradually add the bread crumbs and grated cheese, tossing gently until blended. Taste for final salt and pepper seasoning.

Sprinkle a little of the bread crumbs and place under a broiler for 3-4 minutes. Serve hot.