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Inspired by a well-known New York restaurant, this creative method transforms usually thrown-out external lettuce leaves into a smooth green “mayonnaise”. This is an smart approach to minimize leftovers while creating a condiment tasty and flexible.

The Reason Use External Salad Leaves?

Those outer leaves serve as the plant’s protective packaging, shielding the tender inner lettuce. Although recycling vegetable trimmings is a fundamental sustainable practice, discovering new applications for them is additionally impactful. Converting excess food into fertile soil avoids landfill buildup, where it may emit methane, a powerful environmental concern.

It’s rather radical when you consider over it: produce decomposes and transforms into that ideal soil to nourish further crops, thereby closing this loop and respecting the cycle of life.

Yet, given over 30% extra food being made compared to needed, consuming precious ingredients wisely becomes essential. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes a more sustainable lifestyle.

This Green Emulsion Method

The versatile recipe functions with whatever type of lettuce and seeds. By using a entire egg, you avoid the need to use up an extra white. The outcome is an smooth, nutty sauce that pairs beautifully with greens, roasted vegetables, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Green Emulsion (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g external lettuce leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g peeled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds help keep the vivid green, but whatever nuts will do
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, split lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch soft greens (like chervil), leaves picked whole, stalks finely chopped

Instructions

First making the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan, toss in the outer lettuce leaves, cover and cook for about a minute, mixing once or twice, till they have softened. Pour the mixture into the container of a immersion processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then process until smooth. If needed, incorporate more seeds to achieve a mayonnaise-like texture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

For prepare the dish, sprinkle each gem half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with a zigzag drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Place on two plates and enjoy immediately.