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Drawing from a popular New York eatery, this innovative method transforms usually thrown-out external salad leaves into a velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant approach to cut down on food waste while creating a condiment delicious and versatile.

The Reason Use External Lettuce Leaves?

These external greens serve as nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the delicate inside leaves. While recycling vegetable trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering creative uses for them is even more impactful. Converting surplus food into fertile compost avoids dump buildup, where it can release greenhouse gases, which is a powerful environmental concern.

This is rather radical when you consider over it: food rots and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed further crops, thus closing the cycle and respecting the cycle of life.

Yet, with more than 30% extra food being made than required, consuming precious resources wisely is essential. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused Emulsion Method

This adaptable formula works with any type of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating a whole egg, one eliminate any need to repurpose the leftover egg white. The outcome is an creamy, nutty sauce that pairs beautifully with greens, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams outer salad greens of 2 little gems, washed and dried
• 20g peeled roasted nuts – white nuts like blanched almonds help keep a bright green, though whatever seeds can work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous handful fresh herbs (such as dill), sprigs left whole, stems finely chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the emulsion. Melt the butter in a small pot, add the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they’ve wilted. Transfer the mixture into a container of an immersion blender, include the pistachios and whole egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, add extra nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like texture. Keep in an sealed jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each gem portion with olive oil and acid, then salt generously. Coat with one zigzag drizzle of the green emulsion, then top with the herbs. Place on 2 dishes and enjoy immediately.