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Drawing from a well-known New York restaurant, this innovative method turns usually thrown-out external salad leaves into an smooth green emulsion. It’s a smart way to reduce food waste while creating a condiment delicious and versatile.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

These external greens serve as the plant’s protective packaging, guarding the delicate inside leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste habit, discovering creative applications for these parts is even more impactful. Turning surplus food into fertile soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can release methane, which is a powerful environmental issue.

It’s rather innovative if you think about it: produce rots and transforms into that ideal growing medium to nourish more crops, thus closing the cycle and honoring the process of life.

Yet, with more than 30% extra produce being produced than required, consuming precious resources efficiently becomes essential. Reducing waste not only saves money but also promotes the more sustainable lifestyle.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable formula works with any type of lettuce and seeds. By using a whole egg, one avoid any hassle to use up the leftover egg white. The outcome is a smooth, nutty sauce that pairs perfectly with greens, roasted vegetables, seared poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

For the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad greens from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted nuts – white seeds like cashews help maintain the vivid color, but whatever nuts can work
• 1 medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch soft greens (like dill), sprigs picked whole, stems finely minced

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the fat in one medium pot, toss in the external lettuce leaves, cover and wilt for approximately a minute, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Transfer the mixture into a jug of a immersion blender, add the nuts and whole egg, then process till creamy. As necessary, incorporate more nuts to get a thick texture. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and acid, then salt liberally. Coat with one tight pattern of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.