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Inspired by an acclaimed NYC eatery, this creative technique converts usually thrown-out external lettuce leaves into a smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s an ingenious way to minimize food waste while making something delicious and flexible.

Why Use External Salad Greens?

These external leaves serve as the plant’s natural packaging, guarding the tender inner lettuce. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a basic sustainable habit, finding creative uses for them is even more impactful. Turning excess ingredients into rich soil prevents landfill accumulation, where they can release greenhouse gases, a potent climate concern.

It’s quite radical when you think over it: produce decomposes and becomes the ideal growing medium to nourish more plants, thereby completing the cycle and respecting nature’s cycle of growth.

Yet, given more than 30% extra produce being produced compared to needed, using precious resources wisely becomes crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves cash but also supports a more eco-friendly way of living.

The Green Emulsion Method

This versatile recipe functions with whatever variety of lettuce and nuts. Through incorporating one whole egg, one eliminate any hassle to use up the leftover white. The outcome is a smooth, nutty sauce that works beautifully with salads, grilled veggies, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields two

To Make the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – light-colored nuts like blanched almonds help maintain a vivid green, but any nuts will work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Side

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous handful fresh greens (like parsley), leaves left whole, stalks finely chopped

Steps

Begin by making the emulsion. Heat the butter in a small pot, add the external lettuce greens, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they’ve softened. Pour this mixture into the container of an immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then process till creamy. As necessary, add more nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

For prepare the salad, drizzle each gem half with oil and lemon juice, then salt generously. Coat with one tight drizzle of the green emulsion, then top with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.