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Drawing from a popular New York eatery, the groundbreaking technique turns typically wasted outer salad leaves into an velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant approach to minimize kitchen waste while creating a condiment flavorful and flexible.

The Reason Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

Those outer leaves serve as the plant’s protective wrapping, guarding the tender inside lettuce. Although composting vegetable trimmings is a basic zero-waste practice, discovering creative applications for them is even more beneficial. Converting surplus food into fertile soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can release greenhouse gases, a potent environmental concern.

This is quite radical if you think over it: produce rots and becomes the perfect soil to nourish further plants, thereby closing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

However, given more than 30% surplus food being produced compared to required, consuming precious resources wisely becomes essential. Reducing leftovers not only conserves cash but also promotes a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable recipe works with whatever type of salad greens and nuts. By incorporating one whole egg, you eliminate the need to use up an extra white. This outcome is a smooth, rich sauce that works perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, grilled poultry, pasta, or grains.

Yields two

To Make the Green Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g external lettuce greens of 2 little gems, washed and dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds assist keep a vivid color, but whatever nuts will work
• 1 medium entire egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small handful fresh herbs (such as chervil), leaves picked whole, stems thinly chopped

Steps

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in one small pot, toss in the external salad greens, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Pour this contents into a container of an stick blender, add the nuts and whole egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra seeds to achieve the thick texture. Keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with one zigzag drizzle of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on two plates and serve right away.