Rio 2016 recipes: An Olympics-inspired black bean and corn salad with lime, spring onions and red pepper

Rio 2016 Olympic Games are upon us and as the events get underway, we are inspired by all things Brazilian, needless to say mostly by their colourful dishes

Feast on this Brazilian-inspired black bean salad while watching the Games.

I admit it. Mention the word ‘Olympics’ and I get weepy. I well up during the opening ceremony and keep tissues close at hand for the closing.

In between I cheer loudly at the television and imagine making a late-in-the-day bid for Olympic gold myself. Okay, that last bit is a lie.

I love the ceremony, the proud look on the faces of the athletes. I love track and field and cycling and swimming.

I even like sports, though I don’t get curling (I think of it as Zen sweeping). I especially love the underdogs who come and compete even though they’ve got a single digit chance of winning.

So my eyes are on Brazil. I’ll have the TV or my laptop on so I don’t miss anything.

And to celebrate, I’ll make a black bean salad. Beans – in particular, black beans in the Rio area – are a Brazilian staple. Beans – feijão – are served over rice and feijoada is the national dish, a hearty bean stew with beef and pork.

This salad is super simple to make so you won’t miss any of the action. I’ve used tinned beans (but feel free to make it from dried), plus fresh corn (but tinned would do nicely). And to give it a bit of Rio heat, I add a splash or two of hot sauce. Any leftovers would be super rolled up in a tortilla with some chicken or cheese. Now let the games begin.

Black bean & corn salad with lime, spring onions & red pepper

If you can get fresh corn then use it but if not tinned corn is fine. You could also add chopped coriander and pumpkin seeds to the mix.

Serves 4 as a side dish
1 ear of corn or 100g of tinned corn
1-400g tin of black beans
1 spring onion
½ large red pepper, about 80-100g
1 lime, juiced
hot sauce (optional)
salt

If using a fresh ear of corn, shuck the corn and place it in boiling, salted water. Cook for about 4 minutes until tender.

Drain and cool under cold running water. Cut off the kernels from the corn cob and place in a large mixing bowl.

Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to the corn. Slice the green onion thinly and dice the red pepper, removing any seeds or white pith.

Add the spring onions and red pepper to the bowl and toss with the lime juice. Taste and add salt and hot sauce, if using.