Utica Greens

     This post is dedicated to Jane, a great friend of mine that lives in Colorado.  While in Central New York, Jane had this local dish and she wanted to know how it's made.  As with any local cuisine, everyone makes Utica Greens a bit different, but they all share a few common traits.  Utica Greens are a combination of escarole, onions, peppers, prosciutto , cheese and breadcrumbs.  I don't often make greens, so I'm  sure a number of locals would criticize mine as being less than authentic.  We have other local favorites that I have a better mastery of, such as Chicken Reggies.  I'll share my take on Chicken Reggies in the coming weeks, and trust me you'll love them! 

     Most Utica Greens use only escarole but I like spinach better.  In this posting I used both spinach and escarole, the combination had good results.  Another break with tradition was my use of bacon rather than prosciutto.  I like the salty taste and crunchy texture of bacon with the soft greens, but most people do use prosciutto.  Using both might be a great option too.  Please remember that you're using my blog as guidelines only.  Make your greens the way you like them.  Look at the number of hot peppers I'm using, obviously I like my greens hot.  In fact, I'm not really big on spinach or escarole, so I use a lots of meat, peppers and onions.  You don't have to make it that way if your big on the green in greens.

     

     Ingredients-

Escarole 

Spinach 

1/2 pound Prosciutto or Bacon

1 Red Onion 

1 Red Sweet Bell Pepper 

6 Cherry Hot Peppers 

Sliced Mushrooms 

4 Garlic Cloves

1/4 pound Butter

1 1/2 cup Romano Cheese grated

3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese grated

1 1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1 cup Red Wine

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

Worcester Sauce

     Let's make them.

     I made these greens to go with lunch so it was a bit early to have a beer.  That said, use your own judgment.  I start by chopping the meat into small bits.  Next, I clean and chop the onions and peppers.  Clean the mushrooms and chop them also if they are too large.  The garlic is minced, as is usually the case.

     I use a deep electric skillet quite often, and this time is no different.  It works great later on when we are adding the spinach as the spinach takes up a great deal of space until it cooks down.  First, sauté the meat over medium heat until it's crispy.  Remove and drain the meat leaving a tablespoon or so in the pan.  Add all the peppers, onions and mushrooms.  Top it with butter, kosher salt and black pepper.  No garlic yet.  Sauté over medium heat folding the vegetables occasionally.

     While that's cooking I start the escarole.  Escarole can be a bitter green, so I add a generous amount of kosher salt and a bit of sugar to a large pot of water that will be used to cook it.  Set the heat to high and get that pot boiling.  This is a very dirty vegetable that requires lots of care in the sink.  Cut the bottom off and rinse each leaf carefully as the dirt is always present well into the upper part of the leaves.  After that, I give it a course chopping and toss it into the pot. Cook the escarole until it is fork tender.

     When the onions and peppers are almost soft, add the garlic, wine and Italian seasonings.  Reduce the heat a bit and simmer to reduce the wine.  Taste for seasoning as you go.  After the wine is reduced significantly add spinach and watch it shrink as you fold it into the hot vegetables.  I used a whole large bag, but I could have used even more.

     As that cooked I drained the escarole and it too went into the skillet.  I add a bit of Worcester sauce now and make a final check on the salt and pepper.  As it all cooks a lot of moisture gathers in the pan. You can drain it off if it looks excessive, but the next step will mop lots of it up.  How dry do you like your greens? That will determine how much, if any, moisture you want to remove.

     Reduce the heat to low before you add about a cup of Romano cheese and a cup of bread crumbs.  Incorporate these by folding them into the mix.  Now I put the greens into a shallow casserole which I top with 1/2 cup of romano, then 3/4 cup of mozzarella, and finally 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.  Bake it at 375 until the cheeses melt.  Let it set for a bit before serving.  Greens are a great side dish to almost any meal.  In the Rome-Utica area we often see greens served on steak and chicken sandwiches and in the sandwich wraps.  If you haven't had one, trust me you're missing something.