🔗 Share this article

Inspired by a well-known New York restaurant, this innovative technique converts typically wasted external lettuce leaves into a velvety green emulsion. This is a brilliant approach to cut down on food waste while producing something delicious and adaptable.

Why Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are nature’s protective packaging, shielding the delicate inside leaves. While composting vegetable trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering creative applications for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus food into rich soil avoids landfill buildup, where it can emit methane, a potent environmental issue.

This is quite radical if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed further plants, thus completing the cycle and honoring the process of life.

However, with more than 30% extra produce being produced than required, using precious resources efficiently becomes essential. Minimizing leftovers not only saves cash but also supports the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

This versatile recipe functions with any variety of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating one entire egg, you eliminate any hassle to repurpose the extra egg white. The result is an smooth, rich dressing that works perfectly with greens, grilled veggies, seared poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad leaves of two little gems, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – white nuts like pine nuts help maintain the bright green, but whatever seeds can work
• 1 medium whole egg

To Make the Side

• 2 romaine or butter heads, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small handful soft herbs (such as chervil), sprigs picked whole, stalks finely chopped

Instructions

First making the emulsion. Heat the butter in one medium saucepan, add the outer salad greens, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they have softened. Transfer the contents into the jug of an immersion processor, add the pistachios and whole egg, then blend till creamy. As necessary, add more seeds to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

For prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem half with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt generously. Dress with a tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and serve immediately.