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Inspired by a well-known NYC restaurant, this groundbreaking technique turns usually thrown-out external salad leaves into a smooth herbaceous emulsion. It’s an ingenious way to cut down on food waste while producing a condiment flavorful and versatile.

Why Use External Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are nature’s protective packaging, shielding the delicate inside leaves. While recycling produce trimmings is a fundamental zero-waste habit, discovering creative uses for them is even more beneficial. Converting surplus food into rich soil prevents dump accumulation, where they can emit greenhouse gases, a powerful climate issue.

This is rather radical if you think about it: produce rots and becomes that perfect growing medium to feed further plants, thereby completing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

Yet, with more than thirty percent extra food getting produced compared to required, using precious ingredients wisely becomes crucial. Reducing leftovers not only saves cash but also promotes the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

This adaptable formula functions with whatever variety of salad greens and seeds. By using a whole egg, one avoid any hassle to repurpose the extra white. This result is a smooth, rich dressing that works perfectly with salads, roasted veggies, grilled chicken, noodles, or grains.

Serves two

For the Green Emulsion (Makes about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50g external lettuce greens from two little gems, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted nuts – light-colored seeds like cashews assist keep the bright color, though any seeds can work
• 1 medium whole egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 small bunch soft greens (such as chervil), sprigs picked intact, stalks thinly chopped

Steps

First making the emulsion. Melt the fat in one small saucepan, add the outer salad leaves, cover and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, until they have wilted. Transfer the contents into a container of an stick blender, add the nuts and whole egg, then blend till smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra nuts to achieve the thick texture. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce half with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Dress with one tight drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 plates and serve right away.