Utica Greens
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1cup bread crumbs
- ½cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- 1head escarole, about 1¼ pound, bottom removed, leaves separated and washed thoroughly to remove grit
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces), sliced thin and cut into roughly 1-inch squares
- 4 to 6hot cherry peppers (pickled will do if you can't find fresh), tops and seeds removed, broken by hand or chopped into 4 or 5 chunks
- 2cloves garlic, minced
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus 2 or more tablespoons for garnish
For the Oreganato
For the Greens
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
620 calories; 47 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 29 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 1087 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare the oreganato: Mix the oil, bread crumbs and cheese until well blended. It should have the texture of moist beach sand. Set aside.
- Step 3
When the water is boiling, blanch the greens until they are nearly limp but still a little firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking. Remove and drain them well in a colander or salad spinner, allowing them to remain moist but not dripping wet. Squeeze just a little of the moisture from them, then chop them into 2-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Step 4
Heat the broiler. Coat a large pan with the olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the prosciutto, cherry peppers and garlic until the prosciutto is browned and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes. (Lower heat slightly if garlic begins to brown too quickly.) Add the chopped greens to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir to mix well.
- Step 5
Add ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and ½ cup of the oreganato. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently to blend, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the oreganato from burning.
- Step 6
Sprinkle another ¼ cup oreganato atop the greens. (Save leftover oreganato for use in another greens dish, or add it to baked chicken or shrimp.) Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the top browns, about 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and sprinkle a bit more cheese on the dish. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
This is rather more complicated than it need be. Try this: Wash a big head of escarole and coarsely chop the leaves. Heat 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add 4 or more anchovy filets and let them melt for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add 4+ chopped cloves of garlic, 1/2+ tsp. of red pepper flakes and the escarole. Give everything a stir turn the heat down a touch and put a lid on it. Check and stir every 3-5 min. When the escarole has wilted add a can of canellini beans if you like.
I'd tried to re-create the greens recipe since I left the area 35 years ago (I still visit to get my fix of tomato pie, half moons and greens). I've come to enjoy some of my changes more than the original. I prefer using swiss chard to escarole and have made them with mustard greens, beet greens and once with collards (need to be pre-boiled). I also prefer pancetta to prosciutto. Go easy on the cherry peppers (I prefer pickled to fresh in the greens).
This sounded intriguing and it was indeed tasty. HOWEVER:
- is it simply too plebeian to call the oregano-less "oreganata" a "bread crumb mixture"? Although some oregano might be interesting.
- I'm not shy about butter, oil, or cheese but this was very oily and overly rich and probably the most caloric way to serve greens, so next time will try half the oil, fewer crumbs, more garlic, and more peppers (I used Trader Joe's "Hot & Sweet").
Why make twice the oreganato needed...then only mention that fact near the end of the recipe when it's too late. That's so strange.
Awesome recipe, the only change I make is doubling or even tripling the amount of escarole since it cools down so much.
Halved the oil and was delicious but still too oily. Will make again with just a dash of oil. Looking forward to trying other greens with this method, like collards, or chard.
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