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Drawing from an acclaimed NYC restaurant, this innovative method transforms typically wasted external salad greens into a velvety herbaceous “mayonnaise”. This is an ingenious approach to reduce food waste while producing something flavorful and adaptable.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

These outer greens are nature’s natural packaging, guarding the tender inner leaves. While recycling produce scraps is one basic sustainable practice, discovering new applications for them is even more impactful. Converting excess food into rich soil avoids landfill accumulation, where it may emit methane, a potent climate concern.

It’s quite radical if you consider about it: produce decomposes and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed more crops, thus completing this cycle and honoring nature’s process of growth.

However, with more than 30% extra food being produced than needed, consuming precious resources wisely becomes crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes the more sustainable lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This versatile recipe functions with whatever variety of salad greens and seeds. Through using one whole egg, you eliminate the hassle to use up the extra egg white. The outcome is an smooth, rich dressing that pairs beautifully with salads, roasted veggies, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g external salad leaves of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g shelled salted nuts – light-colored nuts such as pine nuts assist keep a vivid green, but any nuts will work
• 1 medium entire egg

For the Salad

• 2 little gem heads, split longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 generous handful fresh herbs (such as chives), sprigs picked intact, stems finely minced

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the butter in one medium saucepan, add the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, till they’ve wilted. Transfer the contents into a container of a immersion blender, add the pistachios and egg, then blend till creamy. If needed, incorporate extra nuts to get the thick consistency. Store in a airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and acid, then season liberally. Dress with one zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then top with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.