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Modeled after a popular New York restaurant, the creative technique transforms typically wasted external salad leaves into an smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant way to minimize leftovers while creating a condiment tasty and adaptable.

The Reason Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

These external leaves serve as the plant’s protective wrapping, guarding the tender inner leaves. While composting vegetable scraps is one fundamental sustainable habit, finding new uses for these parts is additionally beneficial. Converting surplus food into rich soil avoids landfill buildup, where they may release greenhouse gases, a potent climate issue.

This is quite innovative if you consider about it: produce rots and transforms into the perfect growing medium to feed further plants, thus completing this loop and respecting the process of growth.

However, given over thirty percent extra food getting made than required, consuming precious resources efficiently is essential. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves cash but also supports a increasingly eco-friendly way of living.

The Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This adaptable recipe works with any type of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating one entire egg, you avoid any need to repurpose an extra egg white. The outcome is an smooth, nutty sauce that works perfectly with salads, grilled veggies, seared chicken, pasta, or rice.

Serves two

For the Green Emulsion (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g external salad leaves from 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled salted pistachios – light-colored nuts such as blanched almonds help maintain a bright green, but any seeds will work
• One small entire egg

For the Side

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, halved lengthways
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small handful fresh greens (such as chives), leaves left whole, stalks thinly minced

Instructions

First preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in one small pot, add the outer salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring a couple times, till they have wilted. Pour the contents into the jug of an stick blender, add the nuts and whole egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, add more seeds to achieve a thick consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for as long as three days.

To prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with oil and acid, then salt liberally. Coat with one zigzag drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Arrange on 2 dishes and enjoy immediately.