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Inspired by an acclaimed NYC eatery, the innovative technique turns often-discarded external salad leaves into an velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant approach to cut down on kitchen waste while producing something delicious and adaptable.

Why Use External Salad Leaves?

Those external greens serve as nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inside lettuce. Although recycling produce trimmings is a fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering creative applications for these parts is even more impactful. Converting excess food into rich soil prevents dump buildup, where it can emit methane, which is a potent environmental concern.

This is rather innovative if you consider about it: produce decomposes and becomes the ideal soil to feed further plants, thereby completing this cycle and honoring nature’s cycle of growth.

However, given more than 30% surplus food being made compared to needed, using valuable ingredients wisely becomes essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes a increasingly eco-friendly way of living.

The Green Emulsion Recipe

This versatile formula functions with whatever type of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating a entire egg, you eliminate the hassle to repurpose an leftover egg white. This result is a creamy, rich sauce that works beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or rice.

Serves two

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

• 100 grams butter
• 50g outer salad leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds help maintain the vivid green, though any seeds will do
• One medium whole egg

To Make the Side

• Two romaine or butter heads, split longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One small handful soft herbs (like chives), sprigs picked intact, stalks thinly minced

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in one medium pot, toss in the external salad leaves, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing once or twice, till they’ve wilted. Pour the mixture into a container of a stick blender, include the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, add extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Store in an sealed jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce portion with oil and acid, then season liberally. Dress with a zigzag drizzle of the herb emulsion, then top with the greens. Arrange on 2 dishes and serve right away.