From NY With Love: Spilled Milk #286

The perfect family meal? These Italian-American classics from Utica.

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Anyone ever hear of Utica greens or chicken riggies? Utica riggies? Ring a bell?

If not, you aren’t alone.

They are two of the definitive Italian-American dishes, truly known only in a 20-mile circle around Utica and Rome in upstate New York.

Outside of there, very few folks know of these dishes. As someone who has documented them on Bizarre Foods and Delicious Destinations and visited several restaurants when I have been up there on my own, I can tell you that the regional foods of this area are just incredibly special. Tomato pies, red hots and white hots, Zweigle’s vs. Glazier’s…if you know you know. Here is a nice summary from Serious Eats. I love these and get them sent to me every year.

Back to the point. Utica rocks and so does their take on these Italian-American classics. Chicken riggies or Utica riggies are a spicy, creamy pasta dish loaded with mushrooms, onions and an acidic kick from the hot cherry peppers that are a crucial part of the dish. I use hot cherry peppers mixed with pickled Calabrian chiles from my garden and conventional pepperoncini from the supermarket, and when I cut them, I save the liquid to add to the pasta. Trust me on this one, the flavors are insanely divine. Supposedly this dish was “invented” at the Chesterfield Restaurant in the early 1980s, but my guess is they simply popularized a traditional grandmother dish from the area that was cooked in homes for decades.

I serve them with sautéed escarole, covered in Pecorino Romano seasoned breadcrumbs and broiled briefly to create a brittle, toasted crust that contrasts beautifully with the soft bittersweet greens spiked with prosciutto.

So get into the kitchen, these beautiful dishes make for the perfect family meal.

Recipe: From NY With Love

Utica Chicken Riggies

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1.5 lb. thinly sliced chicken thighs

• 8 oz. thinly sliced cremini mushrooms or other “button” mushroom

• 5 sliced garlic cloves

• 1 bell pepper, julienned

• 3-4 jarred hot cherry peppers, chopped with their juices, stems discarded

• 2 onions, thinly sliced

• 1 cup white wine

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 1 cup tomato sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon paprika

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 1 tablespoon dried basil

• 2-3 tablespoons minced parsley

• 1/2 cup sliced black olives

• 1 lb. rigatoni pasta, cooked and drained. Save a 1/2 cup of the pasta water for the finale.

Pour the oil in a large wide pot with high sides. Do so over medium heat, and when the olive oil is hot and aromatic, add the chicken. Spread in one layer and cook until almost cooked all the way through on one side.

Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic, tossing occasionally, stirring until they begin to caramelize.

Add the bell pepper, hot cherry peppers and spices and stir, cooking for a minute.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and season well with salt.

Add the wine to the chicken and cook for a few minutes, stirring while it simmers.

Add the chicken broth and the tomato sauce, simmering for 15-20 minutes until reduced and starting to develop a saucy consistency.

Add the black olives and cream, simmer for 5 minutes and season with salt and ground black pepper. Turn off the heat.

When you add the cream and black olives, place the pasta in the boiling water.

Cook to al dente.

Add the pasta to the pot with the sauce, stir well and return heat to medium under the pot. Add the 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water and cook for a few minutes, stirring.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve with plenty of Parmesan Reggiano or Pecorino Romano or both. I serve these with garlic bread and the Utica Greens.

Utica Greens

• 1 large head of escarole, chopped, root end discarded. You want at least 8-10 cups loose pack. Sometimes I need 2 heads if they are small/slender.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/2 cup prosciutto, sliced into thin julienne

• 1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced

• 4 cloves minced garlic

• 3-4 hot pickled cherry peppers, chopped with their juices, stems discarded

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano

In a large 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil.

When hot and aromatic, add the onions and prosciutto and cook until starting to caramelize. Add the garlic and peppers. Cook, stirring for a minute or so.

Add the escarole in thirds, stirring and tossing as it wilts. Cook for several minutes and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the cheese/breadcrumb mixture and place under broiler, 8-10 inches from heat and brown slowly. Serve immediately.

Recipe: From NY With Love

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