Utica greens is a classic Italian American dish that goes by that name everywhere except Utica itself. Said to originate in Chesterfield Restaurant in central New York, Utica greens typically features escarole or another bitter green, hot pickled chiles, cheese, breadcrumbs, and a cured meat like prosciutto. This is a fairly faithful rendition of the original, with bushy broccoli rabe as the bitter green of choice. We go further than blanching, here, and cook the broccoli rabe in plenty of heavily salted water until it relaxes into a silken tangle that sits so nicely under the crisp, cheesy breadcrumbs. Pickled cherry peppers are truest to the origin, but another hot pickled chile, such as banana peppers or even jalapeños, will do quite nicely.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 2 bunches of broccoli rabe (about 2 lb.), bottom 1" removed, in a large pot of boiling generously salted water, making sure greens are submerged, until very tender (a small knife or skewer should slide easily into stalks), 10–12 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a large mesh sieve and let sit until cool enough to handle. Lightly press out excess water; coarsely chop into 1" pieces.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Cook ½ cup panko, tossing and stirring often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until golden brown, about 5 minutes (watch it carefully). Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 2 oz. Pecorino Romano, finely grated (about 1½ cups), while still hot; add a small pinch of kosher salt. Wipe skillet clean.
Step 3
Heat remaining 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in the same skillet over medium. Add 1 large white onion, finely chopped, 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped, and a large pinch of kosher salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 8–12 minutes. Add broccoli rabe and ⅓ cup coarsely chopped drained pickled cherry peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli rabe is heated through, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed (keeping the cheesiness of the breadcrumb mixture in mind).
Step 4
Squeeze juice from ½ lemon over; top with a quarter of breadcrumb mixture and mix to combine. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture over.
Recipe notes
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