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Modeled after a popular New York restaurant, the groundbreaking technique transforms usually thrown-out outer lettuce greens into an velvety green emulsion. This is a brilliant way to minimize kitchen waste while producing a condiment tasty and adaptable.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

These outer leaves are the plant’s natural packaging, shielding the delicate inside leaves. While composting vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste practice, finding new uses for them is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into rich compost prevents landfill accumulation, where it can emit greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate issue.

This is rather radical if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect soil to nourish more plants, thus completing this loop and honoring the cycle of life.

Yet, with over thirty percent surplus food getting produced compared to needed, consuming precious ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only conserves money but also supports the increasingly eco-friendly way of living.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable formula works with whatever variety of salad greens and nuts. By using a entire egg, one avoid any hassle to use up an extra egg white. This result is an creamy, nutty sauce that pairs beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves of 2 little gems, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled salted nuts – light-colored seeds such as cashews help maintain the vivid green, but any nuts will do
• One small entire egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter heads, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small bunch soft greens (like chives), sprigs left intact, stalks thinly chopped

Instructions

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in one medium pot, toss in the outer lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately a minute, mixing once or twice, till they have softened. Pour the mixture into a jug of an immersion processor, add the nuts and egg, then blend till creamy. As necessary, add extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator for as long as three days.

For assemble the dish, sprinkle each gem half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with a zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and serve immediately.