🔗 Share this article

Modeled after an acclaimed NYC restaurant, this creative method turns usually thrown-out external salad leaves into a luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s a ingenious way to minimize food waste while creating something delicious and versatile.

Why Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

Those outer leaves serve as the plant’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inner leaves. Although recycling vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste habit, finding creative applications for them is even more impactful. Turning excess food into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where it can release methane, a potent environmental issue.

This is rather innovative if you consider over it: food decomposes and becomes the perfect growing medium to nourish more crops, thus completing this loop and respecting nature’s cycle of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus produce getting produced compared to required, consuming precious resources efficiently is essential. Reducing waste not only saves cash but also supports the increasingly sustainable way of living.

This Green Emulsion Method

The adaptable recipe functions with whatever type of salad greens and nuts. Through using one entire egg, you avoid any need to use up the extra white. The result is an smooth, rich dressing that works beautifully with greens, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

For the Green Emulsion (Makes about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g external lettuce greens of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20 grams shelled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds help keep a vivid color, but any seeds can do
• 1 medium entire egg

To Make the Side

• Two little gem lettuces, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• One generous bunch fresh herbs (like chives), leaves left whole, stems finely minced

Instructions

First making the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in one medium pot, toss in the outer lettuce leaves, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Transfer the contents into the jug of a immersion blender, include the pistachios and egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to three days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with one tight drizzle of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Place on 2 dishes and serve right away.