Utica Greens didn’t really start in a restaurant.

For generations, Italian-American families around Utica were cooking escarole at home — often simply sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Escarole was a familiar sight in the backyard gardens of East Utica.

Then came Chef Joe Morelle.

In the late 1980s, Morelle took those old-fashioned greens and gave them his own spin at Chesterfield Restaurant. His Greens Morelle became a hit and helped turn a humble home dish into one of Utica’s best-known foods.

We went looking into the story behind Greens Morelle and found that even the published versions vary a little. So we put together a classic recipe that stays very close to the ingredients and style of Morelle’s famous dish — escarole, hot cherry peppers, prosciutto, garlic, cheese and that crunchy oreganato topping.

Today everybody seems to have their own version — prosciutto or capicola, extra peppers, potatoes, more cheese — and that’s part of the fun.

Classic Greens Morelle-Style Utica Greens

Serves about 4

Oreganato

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix together and set aside.

Greens

• 1 large head escarole, about 1 1/4 pounds
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• About 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small pieces
• 4 to 6 pickled hot cherry peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Wash the escarole very well, separating the leaves to remove any grit.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the escarole for about 2 minutes, leaving it slightly firm. Transfer it to cold water to stop the cooking, then drain thoroughly and chop into pieces.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat.

Add the prosciutto, hot cherry peppers and garlic and cook for several minutes, until the prosciutto begins to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the escarole and season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the 1/2 cup grated cheese along with about 1/2 cup of the prepared oreganato mixture. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring so everything is well combined.

Sprinkle additional oreganato over the top.

Place the skillet under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until the breadcrumb topping is lightly browned.

Finish with a little additional grated cheese and serve hot.

A Recipe With Plenty of Variations

Ask five Utica restaurants how they make their greens and you may get five different answers. Some use prosciutto, some capicola. Some add potatoes, sausage or roasted peppers. Some are fiery hot and others are relatively mild.

That variation is part of the story.

But the dish that helped make them famous was Chef Joe Morelle’s Greens Morelle at Chesterfield — a Utica creation that went on to become one of the Mohawk Valley’s best-known foods.