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Drawing from a popular New York restaurant, the creative method turns often-discarded outer lettuce greens into a luxurious green emulsion. This is an brilliant way to reduce leftovers while creating a condiment flavorful and versatile.

Why Repurpose External Salad Greens?

These external leaves serve as the plant’s protective packaging, guarding the delicate inside leaves. While composting produce trimmings is one basic zero-waste habit, finding creative uses for them is even more beneficial. Turning surplus food into fertile soil prevents dump buildup, where it can emit greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate issue.

This is quite innovative when you consider about it: food decomposes and becomes the perfect growing medium to feed further crops, thereby completing this cycle and honoring nature’s process of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus food getting made than required, consuming valuable resources wisely is essential. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes a increasingly sustainable way of living.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Method

The versatile formula works with whatever type of lettuce and seeds. Through using a whole egg, one eliminate the need to repurpose an extra white. This outcome is a creamy, nutty sauce that works beautifully with greens, roasted veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or grains.

Serves two

For the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – light-colored nuts like blanched almonds help maintain the vivid color, though any nuts will do
• One medium whole egg

For the Side

• 2 little gem heads, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch soft herbs (like chervil), sprigs picked whole, stems finely minced

Steps

First making the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in a medium saucepan, add the outer salad leaves, cover and wilt for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they have wilted. Transfer the contents into a jug of a stick blender, add the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, add more nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

To prepare the salad, drizzle each lettuce half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with one tight drizzle of the green emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two plates and serve right away.