Let’s be clear. Extra light doesn’t mean low calorie, but that’s not the point. Because consuming moderate amounts of olive oil as part of a balanced Mediterranean diet means you don’t have to spend your life counting calories or steering clear of the bathroom scales. Extra-light olive oil is neutral and healthy, which makes it ideal for certain recipes, as it doesn’t overwhelm the flavour of dishes and is just as healthy as all olive oil. An ideal foodstuff to have in your kitchen cupboard!
To make cakes
Instead of greasing baking trays with butter, try using some extra-light olive oil. It won’t swamp the flavour of your favourite bakes and you’ll save yourself all those saturated fats in butter. You can also use it in baking recipes themselves: it works a treat in cake mixture without adding the unwanted flavours that can sneak in if you overdo it with traditional olive oil.
To make vinaigrettes
If you like fancy vinaigrettes and get the feeling that olive oil can sometimes overwhelm other flavours, extra-light olive oil retains the flavour of lots of ingredients. It’s just the thing for adding an oily touch with a subtle flavour, so the other ingredients in your original vinaigrette can shine.
To make béchamel sauce
Vegans, people who are gluten- or lactose-intolerant and anyone else keen to experiment in the kitchen should try replacing the butter in béchamel sauce with extra-light olive oil. You’ll find the sauce takes shape without you missing any of the flavour, texture or saturated fats of butter. And if you swap cow’s milk for a dash of walnut drink or even vegetable stock, and use chickpea flour instead of wheat flour, you’ll have a delicious, alternative extra-light béchamel sauce.
To fry food
Nothing better than this highly resistant olive oil for frying at high temperatures. It’s great for chips, nuggets, food bundles and much more besides. And you can always recycle the olive oil and use it again another time.
To make bread
Fans of homemade bread, either baked in the oven or made in a bread machine, will love extra-light olive oil. Thanks to its subtle flavour, neutral colour and light touch, it’s perfect for adding a certain je ne sais quoi that will set it apart. If you want to add some extra flavour, you can also marinate some pepper, nuts, herbs or any other ingredients to create an aromatic olive oil to use in your bread. Delicious!
