🔗 Share this article

Modeled after a popular New York eatery, this creative method turns typically wasted outer salad leaves into a luxurious herbaceous emulsion. It’s an smart approach to minimize food waste while producing a condiment tasty and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose External Lettuce Greens?

These external greens are nature’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. While composting produce trimmings is one fundamental sustainable practice, discovering new applications for these parts is additionally impactful. Turning excess food into fertile soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can release methane, which is a powerful environmental concern.

It’s rather radical if you consider over it: produce rots and becomes that ideal soil to nourish more crops, thus completing this cycle and honoring nature’s process of life.

Yet, given over thirty percent extra produce getting made compared to needed, using valuable resources wisely becomes crucial. Reducing waste not only saves money but also promotes the more eco-friendly way of living.

The Green Emulsion Recipe

This adaptable formula works with whatever variety of lettuce and seeds. By using one whole egg, one eliminate the hassle to repurpose the extra egg white. This outcome is an creamy, rich dressing that works perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, seared chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g outer lettuce leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – light-colored seeds like cashews assist keep the bright color, but any nuts can do
• One medium whole egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter heads, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch fresh greens (such as parsley), leaves picked intact, stems finely minced

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a medium pot, add the external lettuce leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they have wilted. Pour the mixture into a jug of a immersion blender, add the pistachios and egg, then process till creamy. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.

To assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt generously. Coat with one tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Arrange on 2 plates and serve right away.