Arroz e feijão

Step 1: Drain the soaked 14 oz dried carioca (pinto) or black beans and put them in a large pot with the 6 ¾ cups water and 2 bay leaves. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer half covered for 50–70 minutes, until a bean crushes easily against the roof of your mouth. (In a pressure cooker: 20–25 minutes after it comes to pressure.) Keep them covered with liquid as they cook.

Step 2: While the beans cook, make the rice. Rinse the 14 oz long-grain white rice in a sieve until the water runs almost clear, then let it drain well.

Step 3: Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and fry the ½ onion for 2–3 minutes until soft. Add the 2 garlic cloves and the drained rice and stir for 2–3 minutes until the grains turn chalky-white and you hear a faint crackle. Frying seals the grains so they stay separate.

Step 4: Pour in the 3 ¼ cups boiling water and add the 1 tsp salt; it will hiss. Bring back to the boil, then cover, turn to the lowest heat and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is gone and holes appear on the surface. Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Step 5: When the beans are soft, heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat and fry the 1 onion for 5 minutes until golden. Add the 4 garlic cloves for 1 minute until fragrant.

Step 6: Add a ladle of beans with some broth to the frying pan and mash them roughly with a fork, sizzling, for 1 minute. Scrape the lot back into the bean pot, add the 1 ½ tsp salt and simmer 10 minutes more, uncovered, until the broth turns thick and creamy.

Step 7: Serve the beans in bowls next to (or poured over) the rice. Both keep for 4 days in the fridge, and the beans freeze well; add a splash of water when reheating.