If you ever eat at an Italian restaurant near central New York, you may come across a dish called Greens Morelle. It is a lovely, creamy dish made with cheese, greens, and cured pork and topped with bread crumbs. Whether you eat it right out of the dish or spoon it onto some bread, it is sure to make you smile. But can you make restaurant-quality Greens Morelle at home? You can; there are plenty of recipes that you can find and follow. Regardless of the exact recipe you choose, here are some tips to help your version taste more like the Greens Morelle from a restaurant.

Use escarole, not kale. 

Many Greens Morelle recipes will tell you that you can use either escarole or kale to make the dish. If you make Greens Morelle with kale, the dish may be delicious, but it's not going to be quite like the restaurant version. Most restaurants use escarole as it is popular in Italian cooking. The recipe likely only provides kale as an alternative in case escarole is hard to find. But for the most authentic Greens Morelle, escarole is the way to go. A specialty grocery store will almost certainly have it if your ordinary grocery store does not.

Really cook the onions.

Cooking the onions is one of the first steps in making the dish. Don't rush this part. The more you cook the onions, the more their flavors will deepen and intensify. Cook them over medium-low heat, and keep going until they get some color on them. Don't add the garlic until they are almost done cooking. Garlic cooks much faster than onions, and you don't want to overcook it as it can become bitter.

Use real Parmesan cheese.

Most recipes have you add some Parmesan to the dish itself and also sprinkle more Parmesan on top. Don't use the canned Parmesan cheese for this recipe. Instead, buy a brick of real Parmesan cheese, and shave or grate it over your pan and your finished dish. You don't necessarily have to buy the highest quality Parmigiano Reggiano, although that would certainly be delicious. 

Finish it under the broiler.

After you top your dish with breadcrumbs, be sure to broil it for just a minute or two. This will make the dish bubby again, and it will crisp up those breadcrumbs so your Greens Morelle looks like it came from a restaurant kitchen.

With these tips, your Greens Morelle will be better than ever. Enjoy!