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Modeled after a popular New York eatery, the groundbreaking method converts typically wasted external lettuce greens into an smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s a ingenious approach to minimize food waste while making something tasty and flexible.

Why Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

These external greens serve as the plant’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inside leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste habit, discovering new applications for these parts is additionally beneficial. Turning excess ingredients into rich compost prevents dump buildup, where they may emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful environmental concern.

This is quite radical if you consider about it: produce decomposes and becomes that perfect growing medium to nourish further plants, thus closing this loop and respecting nature’s process of life.

However, with more than thirty percent extra food getting produced than needed, using valuable ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only saves cash but also promotes the increasingly eco-friendly way of living.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

The adaptable recipe works with any type of salad greens and seeds. Through using one entire egg, you eliminate the need to repurpose the extra white. The result is an creamy, rich sauce that works perfectly with salads, grilled vegetables, seared poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50g external salad leaves from 2 little gems, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – white seeds like blanched almonds assist maintain the vivid green, but whatever nuts can work
• 1 small whole egg

To Make the Salad

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• One small handful fresh greens (such as chives), leaves picked whole, stalks thinly chopped

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the butter in a small pot, add the external salad greens, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing once or twice, until they have wilted. Pour this mixture into a jug of a immersion processor, include the pistachios and egg, then process until creamy. As necessary, incorporate more nuts to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to three days.

For assemble the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Dress with a zigzag pattern of the green emulsion, then top with the herbs. Place on two dishes and enjoy right away.