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Modeled after an acclaimed New York restaurant, the creative technique converts usually thrown-out external salad leaves into an luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. This is an brilliant way to minimize leftovers while producing something tasty and flexible.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

Those external leaves serve as the plant’s protective packaging, guarding the delicate inside lettuce. Although recycling produce trimmings is a fundamental zero-waste habit, finding new uses for these parts is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into fertile compost avoids dump buildup, where they can emit methane, which is a powerful environmental concern.

It’s quite radical if you think about it: produce rots and transforms into the ideal soil to nourish further crops, thus completing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

Yet, given more than thirty percent extra food getting made compared to needed, using valuable resources efficiently is crucial. Minimizing waste not only saves money but also promotes the more sustainable lifestyle.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The versatile formula works with any variety of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating one entire egg, one eliminate the hassle to use up the leftover egg white. This result is an smooth, rich sauce that works beautifully with salads, roasted veggies, grilled poultry, pasta, or grains.

Yields two

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams outer lettuce greens from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds help keep a vivid color, though whatever seeds will do
• 1 medium whole egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• One small handful fresh herbs (like parsley), sprigs picked whole, stalks thinly chopped

Instructions

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a small saucepan, add the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they have wilted. Transfer this mixture into a jug of an stick processor, include the pistachios and egg, then process until smooth. If needed, add more seeds to get a thick texture. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to three days.

To prepare the dish, sprinkle each lettuce half with olive oil and acid, then salt liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and serve right away.