Celebrate End-of-Year Reunions with Delicious Dishes Using Bertolli Olive Oil

Reunions are a joyful part of life that goes hand in hand with indulgences, making it even more important to find ways to switch to healthier food alternatives that everyone can still enjoy. When cooking well-loved dishes for bigger crowds, the switch is as easy as using olive oil to replace butter, vegetable oil or other less nutritious fats.

Beyond being high in antioxidants and providing healthy monosaturated fats that are beneficial for the heart and body, olive oil is also a good fat for maintaining one's weight, with many studies finding the olive oil-rich Mediterranean diet having favorable effects on health. Year-end reunions and celebrations are where we typically enjoy good food and company, so using olive oil in this year's meals with loved ones can help keep them nutritious while boosting everyone's overall health and immunity.

To celebrate moments of love and connection as Thais reunite Together Again, Bertolli is sharing several wholesome recipes perfect for your next feed with loved ones.

CRISPY LAAB MEATBALLSServes 4

• 3 tablespoons Thai sticky rice or jasmine rice, uncooked
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn into chunks and stems removed
• 450g ground pork
• 1 tablespoon minced galangal
• 3 tablespoons minced lemongrass
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, to taste
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-2 cups Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil for frying

PREPARATION

1. In a dry pan, toast sticky rice and kaffir lime leaves over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the rice is deep golden brown in color and the lime leaves are crisp.
2. Once slightly cool, grind the rice and lime leaves in a mortar and pestle until fine.
3. In a bowl, combine pork, toasted rice powder, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, cilantro, lime juice, fish sauce and chili flakes, then mix well.
4. Create meatballs from the mix using your hands and then fry in Bertolli Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil until browned and serve.

OVEN-BAKED GARLIC SHRIMP COCKTAILServes 4

• 450g raw, tail-on shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 2 tablespoon Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of ? lemon
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ? cups grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Marinara sauce, warmed, for dipping

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 200?C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together, then place shrimp on baking sheet.
3. Place baking sheet in oven and roast shrimp until golden and cooked through, for 8-10 minutes.
4. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

FLOURLESS OLIVE OIL CHOCOLATE CAKEServes 4

• 1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup Bertolli Olive Oil
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, separate egg whites and yolks
• 1 3/4 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

PREPARATION

1. Pre-heat oven to 180?C.
2. Place chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until all chocolate is melted.
3. Add Bertolli Olive Oil, granulated sugar and egg yolks to the melted chocolate and whisk until combined.
4. Sift almond flour and cocoa powder over the batter and stir in with spatula until fully combined.
5. In a separate large bowl, add egg whites and whip them on high speed with an electric mixer for 3-5minutes - until it has stiff peaks.
6. Slowly and gently fold in the egg whites to the chocolate batter until fully incorporated, and a smooth and fluffy batter is formed.
7. Pour batter in the cake pan and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove cake from the oven, let it cool down for 15 minutes, then flip it onto a plate and serve.

KANOM KROKServes 4

Inner Layer (Custard):

• 1 425g can Coconut Milk
• 2 tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Rice Flour
• 2 teaspoon Tapioca Flour

Outer Layer (Shell):

• 1 425g can Coconut Milk
• 1/2 cup Cooked Jasmine Rice (at room temperature)
• 1 1/4 cups Rice Flour
• 3 tablespoons White Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup Sparkling Mineral Water

For Cooking:

• 2 tablespoons Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil
• Chopped green onions, corn kernels, or shredded coconut, for topping (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Prepare custard: Combine all custard ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk continuously and bring to a simmer until the mixture visibly thickens, 2 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
2. Prepare shell: Combine coconut milk, rice, rice flour, sugar and salt in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add mineral water and pulse blender once or twice until incorporated and smooth in consistency.
3. Heat a Takoyaki pan over medium heat, and once the pan is hot, brush the inside of the holes with Bertolli Extra Light Olive Oil.
4. Pour shell batter into each of the holes, leaving about ? inch of headspace at the top. Then quickly spoon 1 teaspoon of custard batter into the center.
5. Let the pancakes cook until golden brown on the bottom and still soft in the center, about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Sprinkle optional toppings on pancakes in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
7. When the pancakes are done, use a spoon to gently remove them from the pan and transfer them to a plate or cooling rack. Serve while still warm.

About Bertolli

The world's number one olive oil brand, Bertolli was founded in the small Tuscan town of Lucca, Italy. For 150 years, the Bertolli name has been synonymous with Italian and international cooking and eating. At the heart of the Bertolli brand is a commitment to quality, dedication to leveraging the natural goodness of ingredients and a tradition of providing outstanding and flavorful olive oils to Thailand and the world. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/BertolliTH/.

Source: Hill+Knowlton Strategies