Baião de dois (rice, black-eyed peas and cheese)

Method

1. Rinse the black-eyed peas and cook them, unsoaked, in 1.5 litres of water with the bay leaf for 30 to 40 minutes over medium heat (or 10 minutes in a pressure cooker once it starts hissing), until tender but whole. Drain, keeping 750 ml of the cooking water (top up with water if short), and remove the bay leaf.
2. Chop ½ onion for the rice and dice the rest; chop the garlic; cut the halloumi into 1.5 cm cubes and the bacon into small dice.
3. Cook the rice in the bean water: in a pot, heat the oil over low heat and soften the chopped ½ onion with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes; add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in 650 ml of the hot bean water and cook uncovered over medium heat until the water drops to the level of the rice (about 7 minutes), then over low heat, half-covered, for 8 to 10 minutes until dry. Turn off the heat and keep covered for 5 minutes.
4. In a large frying pan, melt half the butter over medium heat and brown the halloumi cubes for about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, melt the rest of the butter, cook the diced onion for 3 minutes, add the bacon and brown for 5 minutes; add the garlic and stir for 1 minute. Add the beans and 100 ml of the reserved water and heat for 2 minutes.
6. Fluff the rice with a fork, add it to the pan and fold through gently. Season with salt and black pepper, top with the browned halloumi and the chopped coriander and chives and serve at once.