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Modeled after an acclaimed New York eatery, this innovative method transforms often-discarded external lettuce leaves into an luxurious green emulsion. This is an ingenious approach to cut down on leftovers while making something tasty and versatile.

The Reason Use Outer Salad Greens?

These external greens are the plant’s natural packaging, guarding the tender inside leaves. Although recycling vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste habit, finding new applications for these parts is even more impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where they can emit greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate issue.

It’s rather radical when you consider over it: produce decomposes and becomes that perfect soil to nourish further crops, thus completing the cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, given over thirty percent surplus food getting made compared to required, consuming valuable ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also promotes a more sustainable lifestyle.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This versatile recipe works with whatever variety of lettuce and seeds. By incorporating a whole egg, one avoid any need to repurpose the leftover white. The result is an creamy, rich dressing that pairs perfectly with greens, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Yields two

For the Herb “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves of 2 little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – white seeds such as blanched almonds help maintain the bright green, but any seeds can do
• 1 small entire egg

To Make the Salad

• Two romaine or butter heads, split lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 generous handful soft herbs (like chives), leaves left whole, stems thinly chopped

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the fat in one medium saucepan, add the external salad greens, place a lid and wilt for approximately a minute, mixing once or twice, until they’ve wilted. Transfer this mixture into the container of a immersion blender, include the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, add more nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.

To prepare the dish, sprinkle each lettuce portion with oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with one tight pattern of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Place on 2 plates and enjoy right away.