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Inspired by an acclaimed New York restaurant, the innovative method turns often-discarded outer salad leaves into a luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart approach to reduce food waste while creating a condiment delicious and adaptable.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

Those outer greens serve as nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inner lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a fundamental sustainable habit, discovering new applications for these parts is even more impactful. Converting surplus ingredients into fertile soil avoids landfill accumulation, where it can release greenhouse gases, which is a powerful climate concern.

It’s rather innovative if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into that perfect growing medium to feed more plants, thereby completing the cycle and honoring the process of life.

However, given more than 30% extra produce being made than needed, using valuable ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only saves money but also promotes a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable formula functions with any type of lettuce and seeds. Through using one whole egg, one eliminate any hassle to repurpose the extra white. The outcome is an smooth, nutty sauce that pairs beautifully with greens, grilled veggies, grilled chicken, pasta, or rice.

Yields two

For the Herb Emulsion (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams outer lettuce greens of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled roasted pistachios – white nuts like pine nuts assist keep the vivid color, though any seeds can do
• One small entire egg

For the Side

• Two romaine or butter heads, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 small bunch fresh greens (like parsley), leaves picked whole, stems thinly minced

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Heat the fat in a medium pot, add the outer lettuce greens, place a lid and wilt for approximately a minute, stirring once or twice, till they’ve wilted. Transfer this contents into the jug of a stick processor, add the nuts and whole egg, then process until smooth. If needed, add extra nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a airtight jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each gem portion with olive oil and acid, then season liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.