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Modeled after a well-known NYC eatery, the creative technique converts typically wasted external salad greens into an velvety herbaceous emulsion. It’s a ingenious way to reduce kitchen waste while creating something tasty and versatile.

Why Use External Lettuce Leaves?

Those outer leaves are the plant’s protective wrapping, guarding the delicate inner leaves. While recycling vegetable scraps is one basic zero-waste habit, finding new uses for them is even more beneficial. Converting surplus food into fertile compost avoids landfill accumulation, where it may release greenhouse gases, which is a powerful environmental concern.

It’s rather radical when you consider over it: produce rots and becomes that perfect growing medium to feed more crops, thus completing this cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, given more than thirty percent surplus produce being produced compared to required, consuming valuable ingredients wisely is crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes the more sustainable lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe functions with any type of lettuce and seeds. By incorporating a whole egg, you avoid the hassle to repurpose an leftover white. The result is a smooth, nutty dressing that pairs beautifully with salads, grilled veggies, grilled chicken, noodles, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Green Emulsion (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g outer lettuce greens from two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled salted pistachios – light-colored seeds like blanched almonds help keep a vivid color, though whatever nuts can do
• 1 medium whole egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch fresh herbs (like chives), leaves picked whole, stalks thinly minced

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in one medium pot, add the outer salad greens, cover and cook for approximately a minute, mixing once or twice, until they’ve wilted. Pour this mixture into the container of an stick blender, add the nuts and egg, then blend until smooth. As necessary, incorporate extra seeds to get the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce half with oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Dress with a tight pattern of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and serve immediately.