Recipe

Chickpea stew with pork ribs and carrots

Name: Chickpea stew with pork ribs and carrots
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1.2 kg fresh, meaty pork ribs with bone, cut into small pieces; 1.2 kg cooked and drained chickpeas (weight without liquid); 350 g peeled carrots, sliced 1 cm thick; 1.5 l hot beef broth, preferably low in salt; Up to 300 ml more hot beef broth, only if needed; 2 bay leaves; Salt and black pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 medium green pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 5 cloves garlic, crushed; 200 g crushed tomatoes; 120 ml dry cooking wine or dry white wine; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Hearty stew with tender pork ribs, whole chickpeas, and carrots in a reddish broth with Cuban sofrito, dry wine, and cumin.

CiberCubaNovember 6, 2026

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Preparation20 min
Cooking2 h
Total time2 h 30 min
Servings6 generous servings
DifficultyEasy

Few things smell as much like a Cuban home as a pot of chickpeas simmering slowly. This is a true hearty stew: pork ribs that fall off the bone on their own, whole chickpeas, tender carrots, and an abundant, reddish broth that is lightly thickened.

The base is the usual sofrito—onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato—with its touch of cumin, oregano, and bay leaf, plus a splash of dry wine that lifts the juices from the browning. It is an ideal dish for Sunday family lunch, one of those served in deep plates and accompanied by good conversation.

Method

Prepare the ingredients. Drain the chickpeas; if they are from a can, rinse them well. Finely chop the onion and pepper, crush the garlic, and slice the carrots. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and season with pepper and a little salt, without overdoing it, as the broth may contain salt.
Brown the ribs. Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the ribs in batches, about 10–15 minutes total, until well browned on all sides. Set them aside on a plate. If they have released a lot of fat, remove the excess and leave about 2 tablespoons in the pot for the sofrito.
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Make the Cuban sofrito. Reduce to medium heat, add the onion and pepper, and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and stir for about 30 seconds, just until they release their aroma. Add the crushed tomatoes and sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring so they do not stick.
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Add the dry wine. Pour in the 120 ml of wine and gently scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned juices. Let it reduce for 2–3 minutes.
Cook the ribs in the broth. Return the ribs to the pot with any juices they have released. Add the bay leaves and the 1.5 liters of hot broth. When it comes to a gentle boil, cover and cook over low heat for about 55–65 minutes, until the meat begins to soften. If it still offers much resistance when pierced, extend this phase before adding the vegetables. Watch the liquid level and add some of the reserved broth if needed.
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Add the carrots and chickpeas. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the chickpeas and maintain a gentle boil for another 15–20 minutes. Stir carefully: the chickpeas should remain whole, the carrots tender, and the ribs very soft, with the meat separating easily from the bone.
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Achieve the hearty stew consistency. If the broth is too thin, remove 3–4 tablespoons of chickpeas, mash them with a little of their own broth, and return them to the pot. Cook for 3–5 minutes over low heat. Adjust with the reserved hot broth until there is abundant broth around the ingredients, lightly thickened and easy to eat with a spoon. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
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Rest and serve. Remove the bay leaves and let the stew rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot in deep plates, distributing the ribs, chickpeas, carrots, and broth well. If it has thickened during resting, lighten it with a little hot broth.

Tips and variations

The times are for already cooked chickpeas. Still, the tenderness of the ribs rules: if your ribs are larger or tougher, give them the time they need before adding the vegetables.

If starting with dry chickpeas, about 500 g yields approximately 1.2 kg cooked. Soak them the day before and cook them separately until tender; then drain and weigh the indicated amount. That soaking and cooking are separate from the recipe time; do not put dry chickpeas directly into the pot.

Brothy finish, no flour. The stew thickens only with a few mashed chickpeas, so it keeps its hearty consistency without turning into a paste.

The wine is reduced for a few minutes to soften its flavor and concentrate the aroma of the sofrito.

Storage: It keeps 3 days in the refrigerator in a covered container and tastes even better the next day. When reheating, add a little hot broth because the chickpeas absorb liquid.