🔗 Share this article

Modeled after a popular New York restaurant, the creative technique transforms typically wasted outer lettuce greens into a smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s a smart approach to cut down on leftovers while producing something flavorful and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose External Salad Greens?

Those outer leaves serve as nature’s protective packaging, shielding the tender inside leaves. While composting produce scraps is one fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering new applications for these parts is even more beneficial. Turning surplus food into rich soil prevents dump buildup, where it may emit methane, a powerful climate issue.

It’s quite innovative if you think over it: food decomposes and becomes the perfect soil to nourish more plants, thus completing the cycle and honoring the process of life.

However, given more than thirty percent extra food being made compared to needed, consuming precious ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Reducing waste not only saves money but also supports the more sustainable way of living.

The Green Emulsion Method

The adaptable recipe works with any type of lettuce and nuts. By using one entire egg, one eliminate any hassle to repurpose an leftover egg white. This outcome is an smooth, rich sauce that works beautifully with salads, grilled veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50g external salad greens of 2 little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – white nuts such as blanched almonds help maintain a vivid green, but whatever seeds can work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem heads, split longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small handful fresh greens (like chervil), leaves picked intact, stems thinly chopped

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Heat the fat in one small pot, toss in the outer salad leaves, place a lid and cook for about a minute, stirring a couple times, until they’ve softened. Pour the mixture into a container of a stick blender, include the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, add extra nuts to get the thick consistency. Keep in a airtight container in the fridge for as long as three days.

To assemble the dish, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and acid, then season generously. Dress with one zigzag drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Place on 2 plates and enjoy right away.