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Drawing from a popular NYC restaurant, the creative method transforms often-discarded external lettuce leaves into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. This is an ingenious approach to reduce kitchen waste while producing something delicious and versatile.

The Reason Use External Salad Greens?

These external leaves are the plant’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inside leaves. While composting produce scraps is one fundamental sustainable practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Converting excess ingredients into fertile soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can release greenhouse gases, a potent climate concern.

It’s rather radical when you consider about it: produce decomposes and transforms into that ideal soil to feed more plants, thus closing the loop and respecting the process of growth.

Yet, given over 30% extra food being made compared to required, consuming precious ingredients wisely is crucial. Reducing leftovers not only conserves money but also supports a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Green Emulsion Recipe

This adaptable formula functions with any variety of lettuce and nuts. By incorporating one whole egg, one eliminate any need to repurpose an leftover egg white. The result is an smooth, rich dressing that pairs beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves 2

To Make the Green Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad greens from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled salted pistachios – white nuts like cashews help maintain the bright green, though any seeds will do
• One medium entire egg

For the Salad

• Two little gem lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small handful fresh greens (like chives), sprigs left intact, stalks thinly chopped

Instructions

Begin by making the mayonnaise. Melt the butter in a small pot, toss in the outer lettuce leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately a minute, stirring a couple times, till they have softened. Pour the contents into a jug of a immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend until creamy. As necessary, add extra nuts to achieve a thick consistency. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for as long as three days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each gem half with oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with one zigzag drizzle of the green emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Place on 2 plates and serve right away.