🔗 Share this article

Inspired by a well-known NYC restaurant, the innovative method converts typically wasted outer lettuce greens into an velvety green “mayonnaise”. This is an ingenious way to minimize leftovers while producing a condiment tasty and flexible.

Why Use Outer Lettuce Leaves?

These outer leaves are nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inside lettuce. Although recycling produce scraps is one basic sustainable practice, finding new applications for them is additionally beneficial. Converting excess ingredients into rich soil avoids dump accumulation, where they may emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful climate issue.

It’s rather radical if you think over it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect soil to nourish further crops, thereby closing the cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, given more than thirty percent surplus food being made than needed, using valuable resources efficiently is crucial. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also supports a more eco-friendly way of living.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Method

This adaptable formula works with any type of lettuce and seeds. By using one whole egg, one eliminate the hassle to use up an extra white. This outcome is an creamy, rich dressing that pairs beautifully with greens, roasted veggies, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Yields 2

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes about 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams outer salad greens from 2 little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled salted nuts – light-colored seeds like cashews help keep the vivid green, but whatever nuts will do
• 1 medium whole egg

For the Side

• 2 little gem heads, split longwise
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch fresh greens (such as parsley), leaves left whole, stems finely minced

Instructions

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Melt the fat in one medium saucepan, add the outer salad greens, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they’ve wilted. Pour this mixture into a container of an immersion processor, include the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. If needed, incorporate more seeds to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and acid, then season generously. Dress with one tight pattern of the green mayonnaise, then top with the greens. Arrange on two plates and enjoy right away.