Heat the oven and prepare the peppers. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, gas mark 5). Slice each pepper in half through the stem, scoop out the seeds and white membranes, and arrange them cut-side up in a baking dish just large enough to hold them snugly. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt. Slide the dish into the oven while you make the filling — about 10 minutes. You want the pepper edges to look slightly softened and glossy, not fully collapsed.

Soften the onion. Warm the remaining olive oil in your frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pieces turn translucent and just begin to catch a golden edge at the corners. You should hear a gentle sizzle, not a fierce spit — if it's spitting, turn the heat down.

Bloom the spices. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir constantly for 45–60 seconds. The kitchen will suddenly smell warm and toasted, and the spices will darken slightly and coat the onions. Don't walk away here — garlic goes from fragrant to bitter in under a minute.

Build the filling. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir well, scraping the base of the pan to lift anything stuck. Simmer for 4–5 minutes until the mixture thickens and a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear trail. If you're using cooked chicken or mince, add it now.

Fold in the rice and beans. Take the pan off the heat. Stir through the cooled rice and drained beans until everything is evenly coated in the tomato mixture. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. The filling should be moist but not wet — if there's liquid pooling at the bottom, return the pan to the heat for a minute or two to drive it off.

Fill the peppers. Spoon the mixture into the warm pepper halves, mounding it slightly and pressing down gently so there are no air pockets. Fill right to the top; the filling settles as it bakes.

Bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil, scatter the grated cheese over the tops, and bake uncovered for a further 12–15 minutes. The cheese should be melted, bubbling at the edges and patched with gold, and the peppers should yield easily when pressed with the back of a spoon.

Rest and serve. Take the dish out of the oven and leave it to sit for 5 minutes. Scatter over the chopped coriander or parsley and serve straight from the dish. The smell at this point is genuinely hard to wait for.