🔗 Share this article

Modeled after a popular New York eatery, the creative technique converts often-discarded outer salad greens into a luxurious herbaceous “mayonnaise”. This is a smart approach to cut down on leftovers while producing a condiment flavorful and flexible.

The Reason Repurpose External Salad Greens?

These outer greens serve as nature’s protective wrapping, shielding the delicate inner leaves. While composting vegetable trimmings is a basic sustainable habit, discovering creative applications for them is additionally impactful. Converting surplus food into fertile compost prevents landfill buildup, where they can emit methane, which is a potent climate issue.

This is quite innovative if you think over it: food decomposes and transforms into the perfect growing medium to feed more plants, thus closing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

However, with more than 30% surplus produce getting produced than required, using precious resources wisely becomes essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also supports the more sustainable way of living.

This Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe works with any variety of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating one whole egg, one eliminate any need to use up an extra egg white. This result is an creamy, nutty sauce that works perfectly with greens, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

To Make the Herb “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams outer salad leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, washed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted pistachios – light-colored seeds such as cashews assist maintain the bright green, though any nuts can do
• 1 small whole egg

To Make the Salad

• Two little gem lettuces, halved longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small handful fresh herbs (like dill), leaves picked whole, stalks thinly minced

Steps

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in a small saucepan, toss in the outer salad leaves, place a lid and cook for about a minute, stirring once or twice, until they have softened. Pour the mixture into a container of a stick processor, add the nuts and egg, then process till smooth. If needed, add more nuts to get the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for as long as three days.

To prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and acid, then salt liberally. Dress with one tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on 2 plates and serve immediately.