{"id":67,"date":"2026-06-21T16:33:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T16:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/?p=67"},"modified":"2026-06-21T16:33:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T16:33:03","slug":"utica-greens-the-ultimate-spicy-italian-american-escarole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/?p=67","title":{"rendered":"Utica Greens: The Ultimate Spicy Italian-American Escarole"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Description:<\/strong> Discover Utica Greens, a legendary Italian-American favorite from upstate New York. This cheesy, spicy side dish combines tender escarole, crispy prosciutto, garlic, and pickled peppers under a golden breadcrumb topping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Story Behind Utica Greens<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These cheesy, spicy greens are a legendary neighborhood favorite in restaurants and household kitchens across Utica, New York\u2014a city home to a vibrant and sizable Italian-American population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dish is so deeply cherished that every season, the Utica Music and Arts Festival invites different dining establishments to showcase their own unique versions. While you can find variations that include fried potatoes, sausage balls, or alternative greens like Swiss chard, spinach, and broccoli rabe, the classic recipe relies on the bitter, hearty crunch of escarole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Serve It<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Utica Greens are incredibly versatile. You can serve them as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A standalone <strong>appetizer<\/strong> paired with thick hunks of crusty Italian bread.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A premium <strong>sandwich topping<\/strong> layered over grilled sausages or breaded veal cutlets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A rich, savory <strong>side dish<\/strong> for any roasted meat or pasta dinner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ingredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Greens &amp; Aromatics:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1.5 lbs. fresh escarole, trimmed and thoroughly washed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 teaspoons garlic cloves, thinly sliced<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 oz. sliced prosciutto (about 4 strips), chopped<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/4 cup high-quality olive oil<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4\u20135 pickled hot cherry peppers (or peperoncini), seeded and sliced<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Golden Gratin Topping:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Directions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Blanch the Greens:<\/strong> Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the trimmed escarole, return the water to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes until the greens are fully wilted. Drain thoroughly, pressing out excess water, and set aside.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Crisp the Aromatics:<\/strong> In a large, broiler-safe skillet, combine the olive oil, sliced garlic, and chopped prosciutto. Cook over moderate heat for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and the prosciutto turns beautifully golden.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Toss with Peppers:<\/strong> Stir the drained escarole and the sliced pickled hot peppers into the skillet with the prosciutto and garlic. Toss everything together well, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and then spread the mixture out evenly across the pan. Remove from heat.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prep the Broiler:<\/strong> Set your oven broiler rack about 5 inches away from the heat source and turn the broiler on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add the Topping &amp; Broil:<\/strong> In a small bowl, mix the dry breadcrumbs and grated Pecorino Romano cheese together. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the top of the greens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Broil Until Golden:<\/strong> Place the skillet under the preheated broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it, until the cheesy breadcrumb crust is bubbling and beautifully golden brown. Serve hot!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Servings:<\/strong> 4 to 6 sides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Description: Discover Utica Greens, a legendary Italian-American favorite from upstate New York. This cheesy, spicy side dish combines tender escarole, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions\/69"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elifefoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}