Why this recipe works This robust Italian-American treatment of escarole originated in the 1980s in Utica, New York, where it’s often served with “riggies,” a spicy chicken and rigatoni dish. The escarole is braised on the stovetop with capicola, garlic, and cherry peppers until tender, then tossed with Pecorino Romano cheese and bread crumbs. Capicola (also called coppa), one of the main flavor accents here, is an Italian dry-cured cold cut made from pork shoulder and neck meat. Both hot and sweet varieties of capicola worked great. Browning the meat first helped build a savory flavor base. Bread crumbs stirred into the cooked greens absorbed excess moisture and gave the dish some crunch. For greater texture, we sprinkled more toasted crumbs over the greens just before serving. Tasters overwhelmingly preferred freshly made, toasted bread crumbs to store bought dry crumbs—and who wouldn’t? Whether you choose sweet or hot capicola, buy a ½-inch-thick slice; avoid the prepackaged thin slices, since you’ll want hearty cubes of meat for this dish.
SERVES: 6
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces thick-cut capicola, cut into ½-inch pieces 1 onion, chopped
- ¼ cup jarred sliced hot cherry peppers, chopped fine 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large heads escarole (2½ pounds), trimmed and chopped ½ cup chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (½ cup)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pulse bread and 1 tablespoon oil in food processor until coarsely ground, about 10 pulses. Toast bread crumbs in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl and set aside. Wipe out pot with paper towels.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and capicola to now-empty pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until capicola begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in onion and cook until onion is softened and capicola is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add cherry peppers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in half of escarole, broth, salt, and pepper and cook until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining escarole, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in Pecorino and ⅓ cup bread crumbs. Transfer to serving platter and top with remaining bread crumbs. Serve.
