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Drawing from an acclaimed New York restaurant, the groundbreaking method turns typically wasted external lettuce leaves into a smooth herbaceous emulsion. It’s a smart way to cut down on leftovers while producing a condiment tasty and flexible.

Why Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

These external greens are the plant’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. Although recycling produce trimmings is a basic zero-waste practice, discovering new applications for them is even more impactful. Converting surplus ingredients into rich soil avoids dump accumulation, where it can emit methane, a powerful climate concern.

This is rather innovative when you think about it: food rots and becomes the perfect growing medium to feed further plants, thus closing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus food being made than needed, using precious ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only conserves money but also supports the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The adaptable formula functions with any type of salad greens and nuts. By using a entire egg, you avoid any hassle to repurpose an leftover white. The outcome is an creamy, rich dressing that pairs perfectly with greens, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Yields two

For the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external salad leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds assist maintain a vivid color, but whatever nuts will do
• One medium whole egg

For the Side

• Two romaine or butter heads, split lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch soft greens (such as chervil), leaves picked intact, stalks finely chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the emulsion. Heat the fat in one medium pot, add the external lettuce leaves, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, till they have softened. Transfer this mixture into the jug of a immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then process until smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra seeds to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a airtight container in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the dish, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Dress with one tight drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on two plates and serve right away.