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Modeled after an acclaimed NYC restaurant, the creative method turns often-discarded external salad leaves into a smooth herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s a smart approach to cut down on kitchen waste while producing something delicious and flexible.

The Reason Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

These outer leaves serve as the plant’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is one basic sustainable habit, discovering new applications for these parts is additionally impactful. Converting surplus ingredients into rich soil prevents landfill accumulation, where they may emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful climate concern.

This is rather radical if you consider about it: food rots and becomes the perfect growing medium to feed more plants, thereby completing this loop and respecting nature’s process of growth.

However, with over 30% extra produce getting produced compared to required, using precious ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only saves cash but also supports a increasingly sustainable way of living.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable recipe functions with any variety of salad greens and nuts. Through incorporating one entire egg, one eliminate the need to use up an extra egg white. The result is an smooth, nutty dressing that works beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Yields two

For the Green Emulsion (Makes about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g external salad greens from 2 little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – white nuts like blanched almonds help maintain a vivid green, though whatever nuts can work
• 1 medium entire egg

For the Salad

• Two romaine or butter heads, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch soft greens (like parsley), leaves picked whole, stems thinly chopped

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in one small saucepan, add the outer salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they’ve wilted. Pour this mixture into a jug of an immersion blender, include the nuts and egg, then blend until creamy. As necessary, add extra seeds to get the mayonnaise-like texture. Store in a airtight jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with olive oil and acid, then season liberally. Coat with one tight drizzle of the green emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and serve immediately.