Transforming Outer Salad Leaves into Creamy Emulsion – An Sustainable Recipe

Drawing from a popular NYC eatery, this creative technique turns typically wasted outer salad greens into a luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. It’s a brilliant approach to reduce leftovers while producing a condiment delicious and versatile.

The Reason Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

These external leaves serve as nature’s protective packaging, guarding the tender inner leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is one fundamental sustainable habit, finding creative uses for them is even more beneficial. Converting surplus food into fertile compost avoids landfill buildup, where it may emit methane, which is a powerful environmental issue.

This is quite radical if you think about it: food rots and transforms into the perfect soil to nourish more plants, thereby completing the loop and respecting the cycle of growth.

However, with over 30% extra produce getting produced than needed, using valuable ingredients efficiently is crucial. Minimizing waste not only saves cash but also promotes a more eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Method

This adaptable recipe functions with any type of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating one entire egg, you avoid any hassle to repurpose the extra egg white. The result is an creamy, rich dressing that works beautifully with greens, grilled vegetables, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Serves 2

For the Herb Emulsion (Makes about 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted nuts – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds assist keep the bright green, though any seeds will do
• One small whole egg

To Make the Side

• 2 little gem heads, split longwise
• Extra-virgin oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• One generous handful fresh greens (like parsley), leaves left intact, stems finely minced

Instructions

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in one small saucepan, add the external lettuce greens, cover and cook for approximately 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, till they have softened. Transfer the mixture into the jug of a stick blender, add the pistachios and whole egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, incorporate more nuts to get the mayonnaise-like consistency. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for as long as three days.

To prepare the salad, drizzle each gem portion with oil and acid, then season liberally. Coat with a zigzag drizzle of the herb emulsion, then top with the herbs. Place on two plates and enjoy immediately.