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Modeled after an acclaimed New York restaurant, the creative method transforms usually thrown-out external lettuce greens into an velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s a ingenious way to cut down on food waste while creating something flavorful and adaptable.

Why Repurpose External Salad Greens?

Those outer greens serve as the plant’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inner lettuce. Although recycling vegetable trimmings is a fundamental sustainable practice, finding creative applications for them is additionally beneficial. Turning surplus food into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where it may emit methane, a potent environmental issue.

It’s quite radical when you consider about it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect growing medium to nourish further plants, thereby completing the cycle and respecting the process of life.

Yet, with over 30% extra produce getting produced than needed, consuming valuable ingredients wisely is crucial. Reducing waste not only saves cash but also promotes a increasingly sustainable way of living.

This Green Emulsion Recipe

The adaptable recipe works with any type of salad greens and nuts. By incorporating one whole egg, one avoid the hassle to repurpose the leftover white. This result is an smooth, rich sauce that works beautifully with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields two

To Make the Green Emulsion (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external salad leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20g peeled roasted pistachios – white nuts such as cashews assist maintain a bright green, but whatever nuts can do
• One small entire egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• One small handful fresh herbs (such as chives), leaves picked whole, stems finely minced

Steps

First preparing the emulsion. Melt the butter in one medium saucepan, add the outer salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for approximately a minute, mixing once or twice, till they’ve softened. Transfer the mixture into the jug of a stick processor, add the pistachios and whole egg, then process until smooth. As necessary, add extra seeds to get a thick texture. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with a tight drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Arrange on two dishes and serve right away.