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Drawing from an acclaimed NYC restaurant, the innovative technique converts typically wasted outer lettuce greens into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. It’s a ingenious approach to minimize food waste while creating a condiment flavorful and adaptable.

Why Use Outer Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are the plant’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a basic sustainable habit, discovering creative applications for them is even more beneficial. Turning surplus food into rich soil avoids landfill buildup, where it can release methane, a potent climate issue.

It’s quite radical when you consider about it: produce decomposes and transforms into the ideal soil to feed more plants, thus closing this cycle and honoring the process of growth.

However, given over 30% extra food getting produced compared to required, consuming precious ingredients wisely is crucial. Minimizing waste not only saves cash but also promotes a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

The adaptable recipe functions with whatever type of lettuce and seeds. By using a whole egg, you eliminate the need to use up the extra white. This result is a creamy, nutty sauce that pairs perfectly with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, noodles, or rice.

Serves 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50g external lettuce greens of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as cashews assist keep a bright green, but whatever nuts will do
• One small whole egg

To Make the Salad

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 generous bunch soft herbs (such as parsley), sprigs left whole, stalks finely chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the emulsion. Heat the fat in one small pot, add the outer salad leaves, cover and wilt for approximately a minute, stirring a couple times, until they have softened. Transfer the contents into a jug of a stick processor, add the pistachios and egg, then blend until creamy. If needed, incorporate more nuts to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each lettuce portion with oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Coat with one zigzag drizzle of the green emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Place on 2 dishes and enjoy immediately.