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Modeled after an acclaimed NYC restaurant, the innovative method transforms typically wasted external lettuce leaves into an velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an ingenious way to cut down on food waste while creating something delicious and versatile.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

Those outer greens are the plant’s natural wrapping, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. While composting vegetable scraps is one basic zero-waste practice, discovering new applications for them is additionally impactful. Turning excess food into rich soil prevents landfill accumulation, where it may release methane, which is a potent environmental concern.

It’s rather radical if you think over it: food rots and transforms into the ideal growing medium to feed further crops, thereby completing the cycle and honoring nature’s process of life.

However, given more than thirty percent extra produce getting made compared to needed, using valuable ingredients efficiently becomes crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Method

This adaptable formula functions with any variety of salad greens and seeds. Through incorporating a entire egg, you eliminate the need to use up the extra white. The result is an creamy, nutty dressing that pairs beautifully with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled salted nuts – light-colored nuts such as cashews help keep a vivid green, but whatever nuts will do
• 1 medium whole egg

To Make the Side

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small handful soft herbs (such as chives), leaves picked whole, stalks thinly chopped

Steps

First making the mayonnaise. Melt the butter in one small saucepan, add the outer lettuce leaves, place a lid and wilt for about a minute, mixing once or twice, till they’ve wilted. Transfer this contents into the container of a immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, incorporate extra nuts to achieve the thick texture. Keep in a airtight container in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then salt generously. Coat with one zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then top with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and serve immediately.