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Modeled after an acclaimed NYC restaurant, this innovative technique converts usually thrown-out external salad leaves into a velvety herbaceous “mayonnaise”. This is a smart approach to minimize kitchen waste while making something delicious and versatile.

The Reason Use Outer Salad Leaves?

These external leaves are nature’s protective wrapping, guarding the delicate inside leaves. Although composting vegetable trimmings is one fundamental sustainable habit, finding new uses for these parts is even more beneficial. Converting excess food into rich soil avoids landfill buildup, where it can emit methane, a powerful environmental issue.

This is quite innovative if you consider about it: produce rots and becomes that ideal soil to nourish more plants, thus closing this loop and respecting nature’s cycle of growth.

However, with more than thirty percent extra produce being produced than needed, using precious ingredients efficiently is crucial. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also promotes the increasingly eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Method

This versatile recipe functions with whatever type of lettuce and seeds. Through incorporating one whole egg, one avoid any hassle to use up an leftover white. This result is a smooth, nutty sauce that pairs perfectly with salads, roasted vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or grains.

Serves two

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer lettuce leaves from 2 little gems, washed and dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – white nuts like pine nuts assist maintain a bright color, though any seeds will work
• One medium whole egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch soft herbs (like chervil), leaves left whole, stems thinly chopped

Steps

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a medium pot, add the external salad leaves, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they have wilted. Transfer this contents into a jug of a immersion processor, add the nuts and whole egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, add extra seeds to achieve the thick consistency. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For prepare the dish, sprinkle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then season liberally. Coat with one tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and serve immediately.