Baião de Dois

Ingredients

• 350 g long-grain rice
• 250 g black-eyed peas
• 200 g cured beef (carne-de-sol or bresaola)
• 200 g coalho cheese (or halloumi)
• 1 medium onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 whole chili
• 3 stalks scallions
• 30 g butter
• 1 whole lime
• 45 ml olive oil

Steps

1. Soak the cured beef in cold water 4 hours (or overnight) to draw out excess salt; drain.
2. Cut cured beef into small dice; sear in olive oil until golden and crisp at the edges.
3. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and a chopped chili; cook until softened.
4. Meanwhile, cook black-eyed peas in salted water 30 minutes until tender-firm; reserve some liquid.
5. Stir the rice into the beef-onion mixture; toast 2 minutes.
6. Add the cooked beans with a ladle of their liquid; cover and simmer 20 minutes without stirring.
7. Uncover; fold in cubed coalho cheese, chopped scallions, and a spoon of butter.
8. Cover 3 minutes off the heat for the cheese to soften.
9. Fluff and serve hot with a squeeze of lime.

Tips

• Coalho is a squeaky Brazilian cheese; halloumi is a good substitute (both hold shape when hot).
• The rice-to-bean ratio is roughly 3:2 — beans should be visible in every spoonful.