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Modeled after an acclaimed New York eatery, this innovative technique turns typically wasted outer salad leaves into an smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant way to cut down on food waste while creating a condiment delicious and flexible.

The Reason Use External Lettuce Leaves?

These external leaves serve as nature’s protective packaging, guarding the delicate inside lettuce. While recycling produce trimmings is one basic sustainable practice, finding new uses for these parts is even more impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into rich compost avoids landfill accumulation, where it may emit methane, which is a powerful environmental issue.

It’s rather innovative when you think about it: food decomposes and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed further crops, thereby completing this loop and honoring nature’s cycle of life.

Yet, with more than thirty percent extra food getting made compared to required, using valuable resources wisely is essential. Reducing leftovers not only saves money but also promotes a more sustainable lifestyle.

This Green Emulsion Method

This versatile recipe works with whatever variety of lettuce and seeds. Through using one entire egg, you avoid the need to repurpose an leftover white. The result is an creamy, rich sauce that works perfectly with salads, grilled veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or grains.

Serves two

For the Green Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted nuts – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds help keep the bright color, but any nuts will do
• One small entire egg

For the Salad

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, split longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch soft herbs (such as chervil), sprigs left intact, stalks thinly chopped

Instructions

Begin by making the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in a medium saucepan, add the outer lettuce leaves, cover and cook for approximately 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they have softened. Transfer the mixture into a container of an stick blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then process till creamy. If needed, incorporate extra seeds to get the thick consistency. Keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for as long as three days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each lettuce portion with oil and acid, then salt generously. Dress with a zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.