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Drawing from a popular New York restaurant, this creative technique turns usually thrown-out outer salad leaves into an smooth green emulsion. It’s an smart way to minimize leftovers while creating something delicious and versatile.

Why Use External Salad Leaves?

These outer greens serve as nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the delicate inner leaves. While recycling vegetable trimmings is one basic sustainable habit, discovering new applications for these parts is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into fertile soil avoids landfill accumulation, where they may release methane, a potent environmental issue.

This is rather innovative when you think over it: food rots and becomes that perfect soil to nourish further crops, thereby closing the cycle and honoring nature’s process of growth.

Yet, with more than 30% extra food getting produced compared to needed, consuming precious resources efficiently becomes crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only saves cash but also supports a more sustainable lifestyle.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Method

This adaptable recipe functions with any variety of salad greens and nuts. By incorporating one entire egg, you avoid the hassle to use up the extra white. This result is an smooth, rich sauce that pairs beautifully with salads, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or grains.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200 grams)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens of two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled roasted pistachios – white seeds such as cashews help keep the vivid green, though whatever nuts will do
• One small whole egg

For the Side

• 2 little gem lettuces, split longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small bunch fresh herbs (like dill), sprigs left whole, stalks finely minced

Steps

First preparing the emulsion. Heat the fat in one medium saucepan, toss in the outer salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, until they’ve wilted. Transfer this mixture into the container of a stick blender, add the nuts and egg, then process till smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra nuts to achieve a thick consistency. Keep in an sealed jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the herb emulsion, then top with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.