🔗 Share this article

Modeled after an acclaimed New York eatery, this groundbreaking technique turns usually thrown-out external lettuce leaves into an velvety herbaceous emulsion. It’s a ingenious way to reduce leftovers while producing something flavorful and adaptable.

Why Use Outer Salad Leaves?

These outer greens are nature’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inside leaves. While composting vegetable trimmings is one fundamental zero-waste practice, finding new uses for these parts is additionally beneficial. Turning surplus ingredients into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where it can emit greenhouse gases, a potent climate issue.

This is quite radical if you think over it: food rots and becomes that perfect growing medium to nourish further plants, thereby completing the loop and respecting the process of life.

However, given over thirty percent extra food getting produced than needed, consuming valuable resources efficiently becomes crucial. Minimizing waste not only saves money but also supports the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The versatile recipe functions with any variety of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating one entire egg, you avoid any hassle to repurpose the leftover white. This outcome is a smooth, rich dressing that pairs beautifully with salads, roasted veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g external lettuce leaves from two little gems, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – light-colored nuts such as blanched almonds assist maintain a vivid color, though whatever nuts can do
• One medium entire egg

For the Salad

• Two romaine or butter heads, split lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch fresh greens (such as chervil), sprigs picked whole, stems finely minced

Instructions

First making the emulsion. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the outer lettuce greens, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they have softened. Transfer this mixture into the container of a immersion processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, add more seeds to achieve a mayonnaise-like texture. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and acid, then salt generously. Dress with a tight drizzle of the green emulsion, then top with the greens. Place on two plates and serve immediately.