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Modeled after a well-known New York restaurant, this groundbreaking method transforms typically wasted outer salad leaves into an luxurious herbaceous emulsion. It’s a smart approach to minimize food waste while making a condiment flavorful and adaptable.

Why Repurpose External Lettuce Leaves?

Those external leaves are nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the delicate inner leaves. While recycling vegetable scraps is a basic sustainable practice, finding creative applications for them is even more impactful. Converting surplus ingredients into rich compost prevents landfill buildup, where they may emit methane, a potent environmental issue.

It’s rather innovative if you consider over it: produce rots and transforms into that perfect soil to nourish more crops, thereby completing the loop and respecting nature’s cycle of growth.

Yet, with more than 30% extra produce being made than needed, using valuable resources wisely becomes crucial. Minimizing waste not only saves money but also supports a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

This versatile formula functions with whatever variety of salad greens and nuts. Through using a entire egg, you eliminate the hassle to use up the leftover white. This outcome is an creamy, nutty sauce that works beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, grilled chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g external lettuce greens from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g peeled roasted nuts – white seeds like pine nuts assist maintain the vivid green, but whatever seeds can do
• One medium whole egg

For the Salad

• Two little gem heads, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small handful fresh greens (like chervil), sprigs left whole, stems finely minced

Instructions

First making the emulsion. Heat the fat in a small saucepan, add the external lettuce greens, cover and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they have wilted. Pour the contents into a jug of an immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then blend until creamy. If needed, incorporate extra nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like texture. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For assemble the salad, drizzle each gem half with olive oil and acid, then season liberally. Coat with one tight pattern of the green emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.