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Drawing from a well-known New York eatery, the creative technique converts typically wasted outer lettuce leaves into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. It’s a smart approach to cut down on kitchen waste while producing a condiment tasty and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose External Salad Greens?

Those outer leaves are the plant’s protective wrapping, guarding the tender inside lettuce. Although composting vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste habit, finding new uses for them is additionally beneficial. Turning surplus food into rich soil prevents landfill buildup, where they may release methane, a potent climate issue.

This is quite radical when you consider about it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect growing medium to nourish further plants, thereby completing this cycle and honoring the process of growth.

Yet, with more than 30% surplus produce getting produced than required, using precious ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Reducing leftovers not only saves money but also supports the more sustainable way of living.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The adaptable recipe functions with any type of salad greens and nuts. Through using a entire egg, you eliminate the need to use up an extra egg white. This outcome is an smooth, nutty sauce that works beautifully with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

To Make the Green Emulsion (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams outer lettuce greens from 2 little gems, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted nuts – white seeds like cashews assist maintain the bright green, but any seeds will work
• 1 small whole egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, split longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 generous handful soft herbs (like parsley), sprigs left whole, stalks thinly minced

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in one medium pot, add the outer salad greens, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, till they’ve wilted. Pour the contents into the container of a immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then process until creamy. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a airtight container in the fridge for as long as three days.

To prepare the salad, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then top with the greens. Place on 2 plates and serve right away.