Utica Greens (So Good)!
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Born in the Italian-American kitchens of Utica, NY, these legendary spicy Utica Greens have earned their place alongside other local favorites like chicken riggies and tomato pie in the city’s unique culinary heritage. A hearty evolution of traditional Italian escarole preparations, Utica greens transform humble escarole into something extraordinary – sautéed with crispy prosciutto, hot cherry peppers, plenty of garlic, and a crown of seasoned breadcrumbs and sharp cheese.
The dish perfectly captures the bold, satisfying flavors that define Utica-Italian cooking. While purists swear by escarole, kale or Swiss chard make excellent stand-ins (since it can be hard to find escarole outside of certain areas).
Versatile enough to shine as a side dish, light main course, or even a savory breakfast alongside eggs and crusty Italian bread. One bite of these spicy, savory greens and you’ll understand why they’ve become a Central NY icon that’s now found on menus far beyond the Mohawk Valley.
Where did Utica greens originate?
In this interview with the NY Times, the creator of this dish, Joe Morelle tells of how he brought the recipe to Chesterfield’s restaurant, which is home of the original dish. He mentions the greens were originally called Greens Morelle, but now are commonly known as “greens” or “fried greens” to locals. By the way, you can still enjoy this dish at Chesterfield’s, now called Chesterfield’s Tavolo.
I was surprised to find out that Utica is home to many Italian Americans whose ancestors came from Italy. As an Italian American from Philadelphia, home to the 2nd largest population of Italian American residents in the USA, I was so surprised to see so much Italian culture in a small central NY city! Pretty amazing!
Method Overview
To begin, boil the cleaned chopped greens in well salted water until tender (some people like the greens a little more “cooked down” (ie, soft, tender) than others; I’d advise you to make sure they are tender at a minimum and adjust cooking from there in the future.)
After the greens are cooked, set them aside and begin to saute the other ingredients.
The other ingredients include chopped onions, minced garlic, prosciutto (or other ham/Italian deli meats), and hot peppers (fresh or jarred; I used jarred because I add a bit of the brine from the jar too) (see photo below and caption for all additions).
Shown on wooden board: sliced prosciutto, chopped onion, olive oil and minced garlic.
After the ingredients are sautéed, add the grated cheese and bread crumbs and continue to heat.
If the greens seems dry, add a bit of chicken broth (not shown) (or hot water in a pinch), because the greens should not be dry at all. In fact, you want moisture.
Top with ground black pepper if desired, and eat!
Substitutes and Variations
The availability of escarole may vary in other parts of the county. It sometimes feels like escarole may be more easily found in places where Italian Americans are most highly concentrated, such as in the East coast area and Chicago.
If you have trouble finding escarole, kale or Swiss chard can be substituted for the escarole in this recipe.
Variations on Utica greens recipes include adding cooked potato, substituting prosciutto with salami or another Italian deli meat (ie, salami, capocolla ham), using other types of hot peppers instead of cherry peppers, different types of grated cheese (ie, Romano, Parmesan) and using seasoned breadcrumbs (for example, a mixture of garlic, breadcrumbs, and olive oil).
Who makes the best Utica greens?
Well, the short answer is you will if you make this recipe! But seriously, this recipe is a guideline (as many recipes should be), and you should feel free to increase the amount of breadcrumb or cheese, or heat via the peppers, etc.
The subject of who makes the best greens in Utica has long been a subject of debate and I’ve tried the originals at Chesterfield’s, the greens at DelMonico’s and the greens at Georgio’s among several other places. Ventura’s greens also comes to mind…all good!!
They each follow the same basic recipe but have their own little spin. For example, I found that Georgio’s cooked down the greens to a very tender point and added heaps of breadcrumbs, resulting in a dish that resembled a bit of a stuffing. That said, their version is very popular and I enjoyed it.
Serving Suggestions
I often eat the greens alone, as it, because I like them just the way they are! That said, they are very popular served with crusty bread. Other ideas include:
- with scrambled eggs and crusty bread
- as a pizza topping
- stuffed inside ravioli
- as a side dish with grilled chicken or steak
- stuffed inside a stromboli or calzone
Italian Americans love their escarole! Other popular ways to enjoy this green include sauteed with beans (escarole and beans) and/or Italian sausage, in Italian wedding soup, or simply sauteed with garlic and olive oil.
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
📖 Recipe
Utica Greens
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 large heads escarole (may substitute kale or swiss chard)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 hot cherry peppers diced, (or more to taste), plus brine (here I substituted sliced banana peppers)
- 3 ounces prosciutto (Italian ham), chopped (can also use salami, bacon, other ham)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs dried
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated (or Romano cheese)
- chicken stock or hot water (in a pinch) up to about 1/4 cup, as needed
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut off and discard the hard bottom stem from each head of escarole
- Wash the escarole thoroughly, remove any damaged leaves, and rough chop. Escarole can be very sandy so make sure it's been rinsed well.
- Place cleaned and chopped escarole in stock pot, large enough to fill with enough salted water to cover greens (salty like the ocean).
- Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes – cook to your liking, I prefer the greens a bit crisp.
- Drain escarole well, let cool, and set aside.
- In the meantime, using a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat
- Add onion and garlic and heat until fragrant and onion becomes slightly translucent. Then add hot peppers and continue cooking for 1 or 2 more minutes. Add a bit of pepper brine (I add about 2 tablespoons or so).
- Add the diced meat (prosciutto or whatever you are using) .
- If necessary, chop the escarole a bit more (made sure the pieces are bite sized) and add the escarole to the pan and continue heating until the greens are warmed.
- Finish by topping with breadcrumbs, and grated cheese.
- Add chicken broth or hot water slowly to get the mixture moistened (it should not be too dry) a bit. Use just enough- you don't want soupy greens.
- Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
Notes
Salt not recommended as there is plenty of salt (cooked greens are in salted water, sliced meats are salty and so is the grated cheese).
Nutrition
Recipe updated September 2020 to adjust ingredient ratio, add onion (yum), add cooking tips, and update photos.
My absolute favorite greens is the Ventura’s. I live in Syracuse area so I don’t get there often so I decided to try making it at home and came upon your recipe. It came out so good I could eat this every day. This first batch I did not have to add any liquid. Thank you so much I will be making this many times in the future!
I can eat these greens daily! Love them so much and so glad you enjoy too! 😃
Hi Marie,
I still live in Syracuse,NY., But only part time.
The Basil Leaf is good. One of my favorite dishes there is Greens and Beans .
I have tried many recipes but
theirs is far and away the best
I’ve tried to copy it with no success. Any suggestions ?
Sounds good! I will have to check it out on my next trip up there and report back! I do love beans and sautéed escarole greens too. I had a very simple version on my way somewhere in NY and it was a simple chicken broth with sliced garlic, a tablespoon or so of paste, and beans and greens. Simple but so delicious. Is the one you like similar?
This recipe was just saved under my favorite folder!! I’ve been stumped figuring out how to cook the escarole that frequently shows up in my farm share, but no longer! This recipe is a dream and I can’t believe how fabulous it turned out. Buttery (though there is no butter!) and simply delicious with a baguette for dinner. I made it for my kids so omitted the peppers and it was five stars without, I’m excited to make with peppers when kids are a bit older. Also amazing how fast it came together, a restaurant quality meal in no time!
Delicious!!!
My first attempt, they loved them said restaurant quality! Wow! Thank You
I can eat these greens every night! so glad you enjoyed!
This recipe is spot on. My husband and I always get utica greens at Delmonicos and this is the closest recipe that resembles theirs! I love this recipe, thank you.
they are my absolute favorite!
Next time in the Syracuse area, try the greens at Grimaldi’s. They are good enough to eat as your main dish!!! Just spicy enough. I will be trying your recipe for my family Christmas dinner as this year we are eating Italian!!
I’ll try Grimaldi’s! We will probably be up that way soon.
I am a native Utican and have never in all my life had it with fresh cherry peppers. The jar variety of pickled cherry pepper was always used (they are actually manufactured in Utica?).
The jar peppers give it a really nice foil to all the fat from the meat and cheese.
Keeping the seeds and center of the pepper are important for the proper flavor but I find that this makes the dish more than a bit hard on the stomach so I usually remove them.
Hi David! Go to Delmonico’s – they use fresh peppers and they are my favorite!! I’ve tried Georgio’s and also the ones in Rome (I forget the name) – all good, and yes, with jarred peppers. That said, the jarred peppers do lend an interesting flavor (the vinegar from the pickling?) and truth be told, I do use them most commonly because fresh cherry peppers are just too hard to find. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you try the recipe using jarred peppers:)
I had them at Georgio’s and at Delmonico’s as well. Enjoyed both ! They are a little different at each location yet very good at both. I think Georgio’s was my favorite but maybe because that was my first time having them ???
It does my heart good to see people fall in love with our greens. This Italian girl was born and raised in East Utica and ate these at least twice a week growing up. I have since moved,but go back to stock up on supplies and get my fill of riggies and tomato pie. This is a great recipe and close to what I had growing up.
I love greens! Glad you enjoy the recipe, Shey:)
Just had Utica greens for the first time, absolutely amazing! Try Attilio’s on Salina Street in Syracuse. Great ambience and food, reasonably priced and huge portions. Even an attendant to watch your car while you dine. Will try this recipe, and hope it measures up to Attilio’s wonderful rendition.
I was told that you can use chopped romaine lettuce instead of escarole or kale. It supposedly doesn’t sour in the refrigerator as fast.
Hi Patricia – I’ve never tried it but I’d love to know how it turns out if you do. Any greens that you like can be used, but I don’t have much experience with cooking Romaine. I’ve grilled it before and it was very good!
I just returned from visiting ANY and had the most wonderful Italian greens. I have grown up living in the South and love all types of greens. This dish was so good I took a photo and sent it home. The place I ate them prepared them with thin ham and salami. Is this ham a special ham? I have got to make this for my family.
Yes, the thin ham is usually Proscuitto, which is form of imported Italian ham. If you find some, make sure you buy the imported stuff – either from Parma or San Daniele. Domestic brands are not good. In a pinch, you can use salami, pancetta, or even chopped bacon.
I’m a Mohawk Valley girl transplanted to Cookeville, Tennessee and have been craving Utica Greens. Just bought some escarole, so now I can make my own! I make mean chicken riggies, too…now if I can find a good tomato pie recipe and also one for taillight donuts like Holland Farms make, I’ll be in MV heaven!
Mmmm…tomato pie! I think there is a good recipe in one of my books – I’ll have to get that on the site!
It’s Christmas Eve and I’m making your greens as a surprise for my wife who is originally from Utica. I lived there for 20 years before moving to SC, some of the best food in the world – cream filled lobster tail pastry from Cafe Canole, Lebanese cuisine from the Phoenician especially the fresh kibbie nye, Veal and Gnocchi from Chesterfields and of course TOMATO PIE from Roma’s. When my company transferred me to Utica and I began to discover the bakeries, restaurants, and seasonal feasts the city has I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Please post the tomato pie recipe ASAP, I’m drooling at the thought!
You are making me hungry! The food is so good, isn’t it? How it turned out well