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Inspired by a popular New York restaurant, this innovative technique turns often-discarded external salad greens into a luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. This is a ingenious way to reduce food waste while making a condiment delicious and versatile.

Why Repurpose Outer Lettuce Greens?

These outer leaves serve as nature’s natural wrapping, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. While recycling vegetable scraps is a fundamental zero-waste habit, finding creative applications for these parts is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into rich soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful climate issue.

It’s rather radical if you think over it: food decomposes and becomes that perfect soil to feed more crops, thereby completing this loop and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, given over 30% extra produce getting produced than needed, using valuable ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves cash but also supports a increasingly sustainable way of living.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The adaptable formula functions with whatever type of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating a whole egg, one avoid the need to repurpose an leftover white. This outcome is an creamy, rich sauce that works beautifully with greens, roasted veggies, grilled chicken, noodles, or grains.

Serves two

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g external lettuce leaves from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g shelled salted pistachios – white seeds like pine nuts help maintain a vivid green, though any nuts can work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem heads, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small handful soft herbs (like parsley), leaves picked whole, stems thinly minced

Steps

Begin by making the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in one medium pot, add the outer salad greens, cover and wilt for about a minute, stirring a couple times, till they have wilted. Transfer this mixture into the jug of a immersion processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra nuts to get a thick texture. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Place on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.