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Modeled after an acclaimed New York eatery, this innovative method transforms typically wasted outer salad greens into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. This is an smart way to cut down on food waste while creating something flavorful and adaptable.

Why Use External Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves serve as the plant’s protective packaging, shielding the tender inner leaves. Although recycling vegetable trimmings is a fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus food into fertile soil prevents landfill buildup, where it can emit methane, which is a potent environmental issue.

This is quite radical when you consider over it: produce decomposes and transforms into that ideal soil to feed further plants, thus completing the cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, given over 30% extra produce being made compared to required, consuming valuable resources efficiently is crucial. Reducing waste not only saves cash but also supports the more sustainable way of living.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe functions with any variety of salad greens and nuts. By incorporating one entire egg, one avoid any hassle to repurpose the extra white. The result is an smooth, nutty sauce that works perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, seared chicken, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

For the Green Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50g outer lettuce greens of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled salted pistachios – light-colored nuts like cashews assist keep a bright green, though any nuts can do
• 1 small whole egg

For the Side

• 2 little gem heads, split lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 generous bunch soft greens (such as chervil), leaves picked intact, stems finely minced

Instructions

First preparing the emulsion. Heat the butter in a medium pot, toss in the outer lettuce greens, cover and cook for approximately a minute, stirring once or twice, till they’ve wilted. Pour the mixture into a container of a stick processor, include the nuts and egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, incorporate extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For assemble the dish, sprinkle each lettuce half with oil and acid, then salt generously. Coat with one zigzag drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Place on two dishes and enjoy right away.