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Modeled after a well-known NYC restaurant, the creative method converts usually thrown-out outer lettuce leaves into an luxurious green emulsion. It’s a ingenious approach to minimize kitchen waste while making something tasty and versatile.

Why Repurpose External Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are nature’s protective packaging, guarding the tender inner lettuce. While composting vegetable scraps is a basic sustainable practice, discovering creative applications for them is even more beneficial. Turning surplus ingredients into fertile compost avoids dump buildup, where they may emit greenhouse gases, a potent environmental issue.

It’s quite radical if you think about it: food rots and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed more crops, thereby completing the cycle and honoring nature’s process of growth.

However, with more than thirty percent surplus food being produced than required, consuming precious resources wisely is essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes the more sustainable way of living.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Method

The versatile recipe works with any type of lettuce and nuts. Through using one entire egg, one avoid any hassle to use up the extra white. The outcome is a creamy, nutty dressing that works perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

For the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50g external salad leaves of two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted pistachios – white nuts such as cashews help keep the bright green, but any seeds will work
• 1 medium whole egg

For the Side

• Two little gem heads, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 generous handful soft greens (like dill), sprigs picked intact, stalks finely minced

Instructions

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the fat in one small pot, add the external lettuce leaves, cover and wilt for about a minute, stirring a couple times, till they have softened. Pour the mixture into a container of a stick processor, add the pistachios and egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve a thick texture. Keep in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For prepare the salad, sprinkle each lettuce portion with oil and lemon juice, then salt generously. Dress with one zigzag pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Place on 2 plates and serve immediately.