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Drawing from an acclaimed NYC restaurant, the creative technique converts usually thrown-out external lettuce leaves into a velvety green emulsion. This is a brilliant approach to minimize kitchen waste while producing a condiment tasty and adaptable.

Why Use Outer Lettuce Greens?

Those outer leaves are the plant’s natural wrapping, guarding the delicate inner leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental sustainable practice, finding creative uses for them is even more beneficial. Turning surplus ingredients into rich compost prevents landfill accumulation, where they can emit greenhouse gases, a potent climate issue.

It’s quite radical when you think about it: produce rots and becomes that perfect growing medium to nourish further crops, thereby closing this cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

However, with over 30% extra food being produced than required, using valuable resources wisely becomes essential. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes the increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Green Emulsion Recipe

The versatile formula functions with whatever variety of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating a entire egg, you eliminate any need to repurpose the leftover egg white. The result is an smooth, nutty sauce that works perfectly with greens, roasted vegetables, seared poultry, noodles, or rice.

Yields two

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens of two little gems, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted nuts – white nuts like pine nuts assist maintain a vivid green, though whatever seeds will work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Side

• Two little gem heads, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• One generous bunch fresh greens (such as dill), leaves left intact, stalks thinly minced

Steps

First making the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in a medium saucepan, add the external salad leaves, place a lid and cook for approximately 60 seconds, mixing once or twice, until they’ve softened. Transfer this contents into a jug of an immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then process till creamy. If needed, add extra seeds to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

For prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Dress with one tight pattern of the herb emulsion, then top with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and serve immediately.