🔗 Share this article

Inspired by a popular NYC restaurant, the groundbreaking technique turns typically wasted outer salad greens into an velvety herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart way to reduce leftovers while making something flavorful and versatile.

The Reason Repurpose Outer Lettuce Greens?

Those external leaves are nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the delicate inner lettuce. While composting produce trimmings is a basic sustainable habit, finding creative applications for these parts is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where it may emit methane, which is a powerful climate concern.

It’s quite radical when you consider about it: produce rots and transforms into that perfect soil to feed more plants, thus closing the loop and respecting nature’s cycle of growth.

Yet, with over 30% extra food being produced than needed, consuming valuable resources wisely is essential. Reducing waste not only conserves money but also promotes the increasingly sustainable way of living.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The adaptable formula functions with whatever type of salad greens and nuts. Through incorporating one entire egg, one eliminate any hassle to repurpose an leftover white. This result is a creamy, rich dressing that works beautifully with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50g outer salad leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20g shelled roasted pistachios – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds help maintain the bright color, but any nuts will do
• One medium whole egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• One small handful fresh herbs (such as dill), sprigs left whole, stalks finely minced

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in a medium pot, add the outer salad greens, cover and cook for about a minute, stirring a couple times, until they have wilted. Transfer the contents into a container of an immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then process till creamy. As necessary, add extra seeds to get the mayonnaise-like texture. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To assemble the salad, drizzle each gem half with oil and acid, then salt liberally. Dress with one zigzag drizzle of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the greens. Place on 2 plates and enjoy right away.