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Inspired by an acclaimed NYC eatery, this creative technique converts usually thrown-out outer salad leaves into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart approach to reduce kitchen waste while making something flavorful and versatile.

Why Repurpose Outer Lettuce Greens?

These external greens are the plant’s natural packaging, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. While recycling produce scraps is a basic sustainable habit, finding new applications for these parts is additionally beneficial. Turning excess food into fertile soil avoids landfill buildup, where they may release greenhouse gases, which is a potent environmental issue.

This is rather radical if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into that perfect growing medium to feed further plants, thereby closing this loop and honoring nature’s process of life.

Yet, given over 30% extra food getting produced than needed, using precious resources wisely becomes essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also promotes a increasingly eco-friendly way of living.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This versatile recipe functions with whatever variety of lettuce and nuts. By incorporating one whole egg, one avoid any need to use up an extra egg white. This result is an creamy, nutty dressing that works beautifully with greens, roasted veggies, seared chicken, noodles, or rice.

Serves 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100 grams butter
• 50g external salad leaves of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20 grams shelled salted nuts – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds help keep the bright color, though whatever seeds can do
• One medium whole egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch fresh greens (like parsley), sprigs left whole, stems thinly chopped

Steps

Begin by making the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in one small saucepan, toss in the external salad leaves, place a lid and cook for approximately 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, until they have wilted. Transfer the mixture into a container of an immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then process till creamy. As necessary, incorporate extra nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each gem half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with a tight drizzle of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Place on 2 plates and serve immediately.