This Cuban garbanzo stew is a special recipe straight from my abuela. The tender, juicy meat and flavorful garbanzo beans are a match made in heaven in this tomato-based recipe.
Per usual, for Christmas this year, my family got together in my hometown of Miami, FL, where my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins of my mother’s side live. And per usual, the night my family and I arrived to my grandmother’s house, she had a giant Le Crueset pot of garbanzo stew waiting for our hollow stomachs.
I’ve enjoyed this meal for as long as I can remember, but it was only until this Christmas that I decided I wanted to make it myself, and share it with you all.
First, let me clue you in on my family’s story.
My mother, grandmother, grandfather, and two uncles are Cuban immigrants. They came to America when my mom was just seven years old on one of the many Freedom Flights. In order for my family to gain the privilege to flee communist Cuba, my grandfather had to leave his family for a year to perform back-breaking work in a sugar cane camp. It was essentially a prison, but to him it meant a better livelihood and more opportunities for his family.
They moved to Virginia (with nothing but the clothes on their backs) where their sponsor lived, and eventually made their way to Miami, FL, where they’ve remained ever since (with the exception of my mom). I was born in Miami, and lived there for three years after that. It is a second home to me, and I try to visit as much as I can.
Growing up, we spent many summers in Miami at my grandmothers house. Everybody always raves about the food scene in Miami, and ironically, I can’t really attest to it. I have experienced a handful of great restaurants, but I’ve got to be honest, I spent most of my time eating my grandmother’s food, which I would prefer anyway. My grandmother is our matriarch, and I like to call her the executive chef. She makes some of the best food my tastebuds have ever encountered.
My grandmother and I.
And they’ve always been wholesome, simple recipes.
This recipe comes straight from my grandmother’s mouth. She doesn’t really have any of her recipes written down, which I find fascinating as I sit here and write for my food blog. What a transition.
That got me thinking. It wasn’t until recently that I began to write recipes down and take notes while I cook for this blog. Before TBB, I just sort of whipped things up abuela style. I find that writing them down helps a ton, and so I want to start compiling them the old-fashion way: a recipe book. I created this recipe card printable for myself, and wanted to share it with you as a way to organize your recipes! This way, you just whip out your little book or take out one of the cards to bring with you to the store when you go shopping.
Download Free Recipe Card Printable
Back to business.
For the meat in this recipe, I used a pressure cooker, which is important to note if you are interested in featuring the meat. A pressure cooker is a ridiculously easy way to make tender, juicy, fall apart meat.
Once you cook the meat in the pressure cooker, DO NOT TOSS OUT THE BROTH. It’s the nectar of the Gods and you’ll need it later. More on this in the recipe below.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:67]
This is seriously one of my favorite meals on the planet. I’ve had it so many times in my life, and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it.
If you liked this recipe, don’t forget to pin it for later!
Join the conversation:
Where is your family from?
Who taught you how to cook?
Does your family prefer a night in cooking, or dining out?
The best kind of meals are the ones that tell a story. This is so special and I can already feel so much love by reading this post! Your Grandmother sounds like one hell of an awesome Lady! My family is from Italy so we have many special Italian dishes that are passed down from my Grandmother too.
Aw thank you SO much Rachel!! <3 Ohh you must share some!!
Looks delicious! Garbanzos are on my shopping list every week so this sounds amazing.
Yeah they are totally a staple in my house for so many things!
Loved reading this story about your family <3 I have found myself writing recipes down a whole lot more now that I write a food blog and love the whole process of developing a recipe. My brother translated a cookbook that my grandmother had written when my mom was younger in Greek and he had to figure out how to translate her measurements since she didn't use tablespoons and teaspoons the way we do- she used actual table spoons and shot glasses to measure haha
Wait that’s so cool!! I love that she used shot glasses lol old school. You’ve gotta share some Greek recipes!!
I love the family story behind the recipe! Makes the meal more special every time you make it. I’m convinced Cubans have the best family recipes so steal as many as you can and share them with us 😉 My grandma grew up in Greece and England and didn’t carry on many delicious recipes so I think that’s why I just started making my own as an adult.
That’s awesome you’re starting your own traditions
write em all down for the next generations!!
My stomach seriously just growled that looks so good and special family recipes always taste the best!
Thanks so much Amanda! xo
This sounds (and looks!) SO good. I love hearing family stories (your grandpa is amazing!), and eating those special grandma/never written down recipes. They are always the best because you can literally taste all of the love that goes into them. Was that cheesy? Maybe. But it’s true. And I love the recipe card! Such a great idea!
Not cheesy – so true!! My grandmother used to cook and then walk miles and miles to bring him food during that time (bc all they served them was noodles!). Thanks for the love Les!!
I like to cook “abuela style” too but lately I’ve been very interested in writing down my mom’s recipes. She’s the executive chef in our family and I want to remember the meals she makes for the rest of my life. My family is from India so I imagine the cooking style is very similar to your Cuban grandmother’s: a pinch of this, a drizzle of that and BAM delicious meal made of whole foods.
Right!!! One of my college best friends is Indian and we used to do a family dinner every Tuesday with my group of friends, and she would make Indian food and it was so yummy. I haven’t tried making it on my own yet though! And yes – once I started this blog I was like crap I have to measure stuff!! Haha, and when I asked my grandma for measurements she was like i dont know!
Gah I love everything about this post! Your family heritage is so something to be proud of, and cherish. <3 And this meal looks amazing.
I wish I had memories of someone teaching me to navigate the kitchen. Honestly I have pretty much had to make do myself. Obviously my parents fed us but we were such a busy family, our meals were simple and cheap. My Nana apparently made a great spaghetti sauce, but I just don't have the memories of her cooking much when I was younger. My best friend taught me how to bake, essentially. And my dad is pretty much the sole cook of our family, but he is only just starting to get into true home cooking these past few years. Every time I am home though he is always talking about Food Network. He says "Oh that Giada, she make some good looking stuff. And she is easy on the eyes" I agree, lol.
HAHA That is so funny you say that about Giada. My grandmother always tells me in her broken English that I will be just like Giada one day! lolz. Well you are an inspiration for KILLING IT as a food blogger and learning so much on your own!!!
I am hot mix of Italian, Irish, and Hungarian! Our family is really good at cooking at home and eating in front of the fireplace while watching Jeopardy and talking over each other…HAHA! I love our family home cooked meals. They are so comfy and GOOD! I love that handful of garlic…the more garlic the better!
Aw that sounds so awesome!! My fathers side is Sicilian – his grandfather migrated to Louisiana, MORE good food!! I just love how food and family mesh together.
Wow this looks delicious! Going to see if I can get my wife to cook this up this week. Thank you so much for the post and all the wonderful pictures. It made me hungry
Thanks so much Joe!! I hope you enjoy!
I love the story behind this and all of your beautiful pictures! This looks award winning
Award winning!?!?! You just made my day
I love every part of this, from the story to the recipe. Also, I love Cuban food and spices. definitely a favorite. I mostly taught myself to cook with a mixture of my mom thrown in. I think that is why I tend towards semi-homemade cooking that doesn’t take a very long time!
Gotta love quick cooking. Thanks so much, my family inspires me everyday!
Your family is so brave for leaving Cuba and coming to the US with nothing! So inspirational! I definitely want to try your family fav – my husband would love this stew – so hearty and I’m sure the meat is crazy tender!
Thanks so much Chrissa! The stories I hear from when they lived over there are crazy (and make me tear up!!). They have definitely instilled the virtue of hard work in me. You should try it! The meat seriously falls apart. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can use a crockpot! (obv takes longer)
OMG this looks to die!!! I’m a Cuban living in Southern California and the Cuban food out here is weaksauce!!!!! I have to try this! YUMMMM! PS, you and your abuela are soooo adorable!
Aww thanks Natalie <3 Yay Cuban represent!! Haha, oh noo well I guess you'll just have to make your own right?! I live in Tampa which is rich with Cuban culture, but I have to drive like 40 minutes to get to where the good Cuban food is
but when you do, it's amazing
Love the story to go along with this delicious recipe
I love hearing about people’s families and how their parents/grandparents arrived to the States. My dad was a Vietnamese refugee and came here when he was about 17!