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Modeled after a popular NYC eatery, the innovative method transforms often-discarded outer salad leaves into a smooth herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s an ingenious approach to reduce food waste while creating something tasty and flexible.

Why Use External Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are nature’s protective packaging, shielding the delicate inside leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental sustainable habit, finding creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Turning excess food into fertile compost prevents dump buildup, where it can release methane, which is a potent environmental concern.

It’s quite radical when you think over it: food decomposes and transforms into that ideal soil to feed more plants, thereby completing this loop and respecting the cycle of growth.

However, with more than thirty percent extra produce getting produced than required, consuming valuable resources efficiently is essential. Minimizing waste not only saves cash but also promotes a more sustainable way of living.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This versatile formula works with any variety of lettuce and seeds. By using one whole egg, one eliminate the hassle to repurpose an leftover egg white. This outcome is a creamy, nutty dressing that works perfectly with salads, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or rice.

Serves two

For the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g external lettuce greens of 2 little gems, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – white seeds like pine nuts help maintain a vivid color, but whatever nuts will do
• 1 small whole egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch soft herbs (such as parsley), leaves left intact, stems finely chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in a small saucepan, add the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately a minute, mixing a couple times, till they have softened. Pour the mixture into the container of a immersion blender, add the pistachios and whole egg, then process till creamy. If needed, incorporate extra seeds to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For assemble the dish, sprinkle each lettuce half with olive oil and acid, then salt generously. Coat with one zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Place on two dishes and enjoy immediately.