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Modeled after a popular New York eatery, the groundbreaking technique turns usually thrown-out outer salad leaves into an luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s a brilliant approach to cut down on kitchen waste while producing a condiment delicious and flexible.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

Those outer leaves serve as nature’s protective packaging, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. While composting vegetable trimmings is one basic zero-waste habit, finding creative applications for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into rich compost avoids dump accumulation, where they can release methane, a powerful environmental issue.

It’s quite innovative if you think over it: food decomposes and transforms into that perfect growing medium to nourish further plants, thus completing this cycle and honoring the process of life.

However, given over thirty percent surplus food getting made than required, using precious resources efficiently becomes crucial. Reducing leftovers not only saves money but also promotes the more sustainable way of living.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

This versatile recipe works with any type of salad greens and seeds. By using a whole egg, you avoid the hassle to repurpose an leftover egg white. This result is an creamy, nutty dressing that works perfectly with salads, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or grains.

Serves two

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields about 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external salad greens from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams peeled salted pistachios – white seeds like blanched almonds help maintain a bright green, but whatever seeds will do
• 1 medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• Two little gem heads, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small handful soft greens (like chervil), leaves left whole, stems finely minced

Instructions

Begin by making the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a small saucepan, toss in the outer salad greens, cover and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they have softened. Pour this contents into a jug of a immersion blender, add the nuts and egg, then blend until creamy. If needed, incorporate more seeds to achieve a thick consistency. Keep in an sealed jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and acid, then season generously. Dress with a zigzag drizzle of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.