🔗 Share this article

Modeled after a well-known NYC restaurant, this groundbreaking method converts usually thrown-out external lettuce greens into a velvety herbaceous emulsion. It’s a smart way to minimize kitchen waste while producing something delicious and flexible.

Why Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

Those external greens serve as the plant’s natural packaging, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. Although composting produce scraps is a basic zero-waste practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally beneficial. Turning excess ingredients into rich soil prevents landfill buildup, where they can emit methane, a powerful climate concern.

This is quite innovative when you think over it: food rots and becomes the ideal soil to feed more crops, thus completing the cycle and respecting nature’s cycle of life.

Yet, given over 30% extra food being produced compared to needed, consuming valuable resources efficiently becomes crucial. Reducing leftovers not only saves money but also supports a more sustainable lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

The versatile formula functions with whatever type of salad greens and nuts. By using a entire egg, one avoid any hassle to repurpose an extra white. The outcome is an smooth, rich sauce that works perfectly with salads, grilled veggies, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g external salad leaves of two little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as pine nuts assist maintain the vivid color, but any nuts can work
• One small whole egg

To Make the Salad

• Two little gem lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• One generous bunch fresh greens (such as chervil), sprigs left whole, stalks thinly minced

Instructions

First making the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a small saucepan, add the external lettuce leaves, cover and cook for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Pour the mixture into the jug of a stick processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then process until creamy. As necessary, incorporate more nuts to get the mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with one tight drizzle of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Place on two plates and serve right away.