Upcycling Outer Salad Leaves into Rich Mayonnaise – An Zero-Waste Guide

Inspired by a popular NYC restaurant, the groundbreaking method transforms often-discarded outer salad leaves into a velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart way to minimize food waste while making something flavorful and flexible.

The Reason Use External Lettuce Greens?

These external greens are nature’s natural wrapping, guarding the tender inside leaves. While recycling produce trimmings is one basic zero-waste practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Converting excess ingredients into fertile soil avoids landfill buildup, where they can emit greenhouse gases, which is a potent climate issue.

This is quite radical when you think over it: produce decomposes and becomes the perfect growing medium to feed more crops, thus completing this cycle and respecting nature’s process of life.

However, given more than 30% surplus produce getting made compared to required, using precious resources wisely becomes essential. Reducing waste not only saves money but also promotes the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The versatile recipe functions with whatever variety of lettuce and seeds. By using one whole egg, one eliminate the need to use up the leftover white. The outcome is an smooth, rich sauce that works perfectly with salads, grilled vegetables, seared chicken, pasta, or grains.

Serves 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50 grams external lettuce greens from 2 little gems, washed and dried
• 20 grams peeled salted nuts – white nuts like blanched almonds assist maintain the bright color, though any nuts can do
• One small entire egg

For the Salad

• 2 little gem lettuces, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed olive oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or white-wine vinegar, as desired
• 1 small handful soft greens (such as dill), sprigs left whole, stalks finely chopped

Instructions

Begin by making the emulsion. Melt the fat in a small pot, add the outer salad leaves, place a lid and cook for approximately a minute, stirring a couple times, till they have softened. Pour this contents into the jug of an immersion processor, add the nuts and egg, then process until smooth. If needed, incorporate extra seeds to get a mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To assemble the dish, drizzle each gem half with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with a zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.