Recipes By Jim Shahin

NYT Cooking

Utica Greens

This dish was popularized by Joe Morelle in the late 1980s at the Chesterfield Restaurant in Utica, N.Y., where it is on the menu as greens Morelle. More widely known as Utica greens, it has become commonplace, in modified versions, in Italian restaurants throughout central New York, and even migrated to New York City, Las Vegas and Florida. This version of the dish is fairly spicy. Use fewer cherry peppers if you prefer it less hot. You will have leftover oreganato, the topping of bread crumbs and cheese; use it for another greens dish or add it to baked chicken or shrimp. Typically served in restaurants as an appetizer, Utica greens makes a great main course at home with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine.