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Modeled after a popular NYC restaurant, the groundbreaking method converts often-discarded outer lettuce greens into an smooth herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart way to reduce leftovers while making something tasty and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose External Lettuce Greens?

Those external leaves are the plant’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inner lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a basic sustainable practice, discovering creative applications for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into rich compost avoids landfill accumulation, where they can emit methane, which is a potent climate concern.

It’s rather innovative if you consider about it: produce rots and becomes the perfect growing medium to nourish more plants, thereby closing the loop and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, with more than thirty percent surplus produce getting made than needed, using precious ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also supports a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Green Emulsion Method

This adaptable formula functions with any type of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating one whole egg, one avoid the hassle to repurpose an leftover white. The outcome is a smooth, rich sauce that pairs beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad greens of two little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled salted pistachios – white nuts such as pine nuts help keep a vivid green, though whatever seeds can do
• 1 medium whole egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter heads, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch fresh herbs (like parsley), leaves picked intact, stalks finely chopped

Instructions

First making the emulsion. Heat the fat in one medium pot, add the external salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing once or twice, until they’ve wilted. Pour this contents into the jug of a stick blender, add the pistachios and egg, then process until smooth. As necessary, add more nuts to get the thick texture. Store in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To assemble the salad, sprinkle each lettuce half with oil and acid, then salt generously. Coat with a zigzag drizzle of the green emulsion, then top with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy immediately.