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Modeled after a well-known New York restaurant, this creative method turns typically wasted external salad leaves into an smooth green emulsion. It’s an smart way to minimize food waste while making a condiment delicious and versatile.

Why Repurpose External Salad Greens?

These outer greens are the plant’s protective wrapping, guarding the delicate inside lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a fundamental zero-waste practice, finding creative uses for these parts is even more impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into fertile soil prevents dump buildup, where they can emit greenhouse gases, a powerful climate issue.

It’s quite radical when you think over it: produce rots and transforms into that perfect growing medium to feed further plants, thereby closing the cycle and honoring the process of life.

However, with over 30% extra food being produced than required, using precious ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Reducing waste not only saves money but also supports a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

The versatile formula functions with whatever variety of salad greens and nuts. Through using a entire egg, one avoid any need to use up an leftover egg white. The result is a smooth, nutty sauce that works perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, seared poultry, noodles, or grains.

Serves two

For the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens of two little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams shelled salted nuts – light-colored seeds like pine nuts assist maintain the vivid color, but whatever nuts will do
• One small entire egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter heads, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small handful soft greens (like dill), sprigs picked intact, stems finely minced

Steps

Begin by preparing the emulsion. Heat the fat in a medium pot, toss in the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they’ve softened. Pour this contents into a jug of an stick processor, include the pistachios and egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, add more seeds to get a thick texture. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To prepare the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with one zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Place on 2 plates and serve right away.