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Modeled after a well-known New York eatery, this groundbreaking method transforms typically wasted external salad greens into an smooth herbaceous emulsion. It’s an ingenious approach to reduce leftovers while creating a condiment flavorful and flexible.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

Those external greens are nature’s protective packaging, shielding the delicate inner leaves. Although recycling produce trimmings is a basic zero-waste practice, finding new uses for them is additionally impactful. Converting excess food into fertile soil prevents landfill accumulation, where they may emit greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate concern.

It’s quite innovative if you think over it: produce decomposes and becomes the ideal soil to feed more plants, thereby closing the cycle and respecting the cycle of life.

Yet, given more than 30% surplus produce being made than required, using valuable ingredients wisely is essential. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also supports a increasingly eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Method

This versatile recipe works with whatever variety of salad greens and seeds. Through using a entire egg, one avoid the hassle to repurpose an leftover white. This result is an creamy, rich dressing that works beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, grilled poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Green Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100g butter
• 50 grams external lettuce leaves from two little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted nuts – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds help maintain a vivid green, but whatever nuts will work
• One medium whole egg

To Make the Salad

• 2 little gem heads, split longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, to taste
• 1 generous bunch soft greens (like dill), leaves left intact, stems thinly minced

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in a small saucepan, toss in the outer lettuce greens, cover and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they’ve softened. Pour the mixture into a jug of a stick processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

To prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem half with oil and acid, then salt liberally. Dress with one tight drizzle of the herb mayonnaise, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on two plates and serve right away.