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Modeled after an acclaimed NYC restaurant, the innovative technique converts usually thrown-out outer salad greens into a luxurious green emulsion. This is an smart way to reduce leftovers while producing something flavorful and flexible.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

Those external leaves serve as nature’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. Although composting produce trimmings is a fundamental sustainable practice, discovering new applications for these parts is even more impactful. Turning excess ingredients into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where they may emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful environmental issue.

It’s rather innovative if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into the ideal soil to nourish more plants, thus closing the loop and respecting the process of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus food getting made than needed, consuming precious resources wisely becomes crucial. Reducing leftovers not only conserves money but also supports a increasingly eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Method

This versatile recipe works with any type of salad greens and nuts. Through incorporating a entire egg, one avoid any need to repurpose an leftover egg white. This outcome is a smooth, nutty sauce that works beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb “Mayonnaise” (Makes about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g outer lettuce leaves from two little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled roasted nuts – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds assist keep the vivid green, but whatever seeds will work
• One small whole egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter heads, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 generous bunch soft herbs (such as parsley), sprigs left whole, stems thinly chopped

Steps

First making the emulsion. Melt the fat in one small pot, toss in the external lettuce greens, cover and cook for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Transfer this contents into a jug of an immersion blender, include the nuts and egg, then blend until creamy. If needed, incorporate more nuts to get a thick consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For assemble the dish, sprinkle each lettuce portion with oil and acid, then season liberally. Coat with one zigzag pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Place on two dishes and serve right away.