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Inspired by a popular New York eatery, this groundbreaking method turns often-discarded outer salad leaves into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. This is an ingenious approach to minimize food waste while creating a condiment delicious and versatile.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

Those outer leaves serve as nature’s natural packaging, guarding the delicate inside leaves. While composting vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste practice, discovering creative applications for them is even more beneficial. Turning surplus food into rich compost prevents dump accumulation, where it can release greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate concern.

This is rather radical if you think about it: food rots and becomes the perfect soil to nourish more crops, thereby closing this cycle and respecting the cycle of growth.

Yet, with more than thirty percent surplus produce getting produced compared to needed, using precious ingredients efficiently becomes essential. Reducing waste not only conserves money but also promotes a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

This Green Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe works with whatever variety of lettuce and nuts. By incorporating one entire egg, you avoid any need to repurpose the extra egg white. This outcome is an creamy, rich sauce that pairs perfectly with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves 2

To Make the Green Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves of 2 little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted nuts – light-colored seeds such as pine nuts assist maintain a vivid color, though whatever seeds will work
• 1 small whole egg

To Make the Salad

• Two little gem heads, split longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous handful fresh herbs (such as chives), sprigs left intact, stems thinly minced

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in one medium pot, toss in the external salad greens, cover and wilt for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they’ve wilted. Pour the contents into the container of a immersion blender, include the pistachios and egg, then process until creamy. If needed, add more seeds to achieve a thick texture. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

For prepare the dish, drizzle each gem portion with oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Dress with one zigzag pattern of the green emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 plates and enjoy immediately.