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NYT Syndicate
They don't normally call Utica greens Utica greens in Utica."Somebody calls here and says they want Utica greens, I tell them we don't have those," said Sal Borruso, owner of the Chesterfield Restaurant in this city of 60,000 in central New York.
In 1988, Chesterfield's began serving the hearty dish of escarole, fried beef bacon, hot cherry peppers, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and breadcrumbs.
It went on to become one of those American specialties that are beloved as a regional staple without reaching much farther. From Albany to Syracuse, the dish is served in Italian-American restaurants as Utica greens.
But not so much in Utica.
"They're greens Morelle," Borruso, 55, said, standing at his restaurant's gleaming wooden bar. The"Morelle" is Joe Morelle, the 59-year-old man in a red V-neck sweater, buzz cut and gray mustache who sat nearby, sipping ascotchh and water and explaining the dish's murky origins.
"Us being Italian, our grandmothers all made greens," Morelle said."They would call it 'scarole. Just saut`ed with garlic and olive oil."
Some Uticans remember a more elaborate version of the dish that was served at home tables. Others recall them as Morelle does: simple, with the possible addition of chickpeas or sausage.
"I did something different with them," he said."You can't really say invent. But I will take credit for popularising them."
Escarole is a leafy, slightly bitter winter green in the endive family. Its heads typically weigh more than a pound, and its firm leaves range from dark green to pale white. It was a staple in the backyard gardens of East Utica, where, beginning in the late 1800s, immigrants from southern Italy arrived to work in the mills and on the railroad.
Utica became renowned for its Italian-American cuisine, with specialties that include fried meatballs, sausage rolls, tomato pie and a mildly spicy pasta dish called chicken riggies.
In the 1980s, Morelle was a chef at Grimaldi's Restaurant, a venerated spot that is now closed, where the greens were served as an occasional special. He observed a chef making them, and when he started at Chesterfield's in 1988, he tweaked the dish and put it on the menu as a regular appetizer. It was an immediate hit.
"The place was packed," Borruso recalled. Referring to those days, when Utica was known as Sin City for its political corruption, Morelle said:"You knew everybody. On this half was the FBI. That half, wiseguys."
The dish varies from menu to menu. In Utica, the name often honours the chef or the house: greens Trunfio, Georgio greens, greens alla Ventura. Local residents frequently call them fried greens or just greens. Versions have popped up at a few restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas and Florida.
Utica Greens
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
For the oreganato
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
For the greens:
1 head escarole, about 1 1/4 pound, bottom removed, leaves separated and washed thoroughly to remove grit
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices beef bacon (about 2 ounces), sliced thin and cut into roughly 1-inch squares
4 to 6 hot 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
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated, plus 2 or more tablespoons for garnish
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, prepare the oreganato: Mix the oil, breadcrumbs and cheese until well blended. It should have the texture of moist beach sand. Set aside.
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.
4. Heat the broiler. Coat a large pan with the olive oil. Over medium heat, saut` the bacon, cherry peppers and garlic until the bacon 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.
5. Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/2 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.
6. Sprinkle another 1/4 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.
