MEXICAN CORN AND BLACK BEAN RICE WITH SMASHED AVOCADO

Keep being adventurous with added spices and textures if you want to grow your very own little foodie.

MAKES 1 ADULT AND

1 CHILD PORTION

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

250g pouch of cooked brown or white rice

1 ripe beef tomato, diced juice of 1 lime, plus slices of lime to serve (optional)

200g tinned black beans, drained and rinsed

80g tin of sweetcorn small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1 small avocado, plus extra slices to serve (optional) grated cheddar dollop of yogurt, to serve

Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, cumin and smoked paprika. Sauté for a couple of minutes until soft.

Microwave the rice according to the packet instructions and add to the frying pan along with the remaining ingredients except the avocado, cheese and yogurt.

Peel the avocado, remove the flesh, then mash with a fork in a small bowl.

Serve the rice mixture with the avocado, a sprinkling of cheese and some yogurt. Add another few slices of avocado if you like.

This will keep for up to two days covered in the fridge.

HHHHH

It’s been a popular choice in Dublin for a long time, now Rita’s of Ranelagh is bringing its famous dough to Cork. It’s hardly a surprising move, given that owners Ciarán O’Regan and Diarmuid Connolly are actually native Corkonians.

They’ve teamed up with gastro pub Crawford & Co to create a pop-up that will allow their tasty treats to be enjoyed while adhering to strict social distancing in the open-air courtyard.

Rita’s favourites such as The Vincent Van Goat, N’Duja Think You Are or The La Di Da are all on the menu, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

‘We are so excited to once again be able to provide tasty options to our customers and are thrilled to partner with Rita’s to do so,’ says Michael Droney, owner of Crawford & Co. ‘It is a very stressful time for bars and restaurants across Ireland, who have had to close their doors with no definite timeline or guidelines to reopening.

‘As a nation, Irish people are extremely resilient, and we hope that our endeavour will inspire others to think outside the box to create alternative ways in which they can deliver their offering to consumers. We can’t wait to see some familiar faces back in the courtyard collecting their tasty lunches and dinners, and would like to thank everyone for their support.’

Visit ritas.ie or crawfordandco. ie for more information on the ordering and collection process.

Tomorrow is National Pinot Grigio Day so it would be rude not to raise a glass. While most believe Pinot Grigio originated in Italy, it was actually born in France, where it is known as Pinot Gris. Thought to be a mutation of the red grape Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris’ skins are not green like other white grapes, but instead have a greyish blue hue, which gives them their name. The zesty white is best consumed on a sunny day, so let’s hope tomorrow plays ball. Irish Daily Mail columnist and wine expert Tom Doorley has picked some of his top options available now in Aldi. They include Castellore Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (€5.99), which Tom says is ‘rich, smooth and bursting with tropical fruit, perfect when paired with light starters’. He’s also surprisingly included a canned version, Castellore Sparkling Pinot Grigio (€1.99), which he describes as ‘peach and pear aromas with an acidic, lemony kick, perfectly paired with bar snacks’.

7

9

11