Go Back
–+ servings
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Italian Pressure-Cooker Chickpea and Pork Rib Stew

Tender chickpeas, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, and perfect nubbins of potato come together in this hearty and delicious stew. A pressure cooker makes it fast.
There are enough Italian bean stews out there to make you wonder when Italians find the time to eat so much pasta. Within this broad category of hearty Italian bean and legume soups and stews is a sub-genre that focuses on the humble but deeply flavorful chickpea. The most famous example is probably pasta e ceci—which, it's worth pointing out, partly helps answer the pasta question. But pasta e ceci is just the beginning.
This recipe is another to add to the list, pairing chickpeas with pork ribs and tender nubbins of potato for a hearty and warming bowl that's a meal unto itself. And, by taking advantage of the quick-cooking powers of a pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot), it's possible to make this stew in a couple of hours instead of slowly braising it on the stovetop for the better portion of a day, which is what would otherwise be required here since it relies on dried chickpeas, one of the longest-cooking of all legumes.
Servings: 8
Author: Serious Eats

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried chickpeas (454g)
  • kosher salt
  • 2½ teaspoons baking soda (13g), divided
  • 1½ pounds baby back pork ribs or spare ribs, (680g), divided in half through the bones and separated into individual ribs (see notes)
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30ml), plus more for serving
  • 1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces; 226g), minced
  • 1 large celery rib (2 ounces; 57g), minced
  • 3 medium cloves garlic slightly smashed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15g)
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
  • 12 ounces yellow potatoes (340g; about 2 medium potatoes), such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into irregular chunks about 1/2 inch thick (see headnote above)
  • freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

Instructions

Soak the chickpeas:

  • In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas with 4 tablespoons (36g) kosher salt and 2 teaspoons (10g) baking soda.
  • Cover with 3 quarts (3L) cold water, stirring to dissolve salt and baking soda.
  • Let stand at room temperature overnight.
  • Drain and rinse beans thoroughly.

Brown the ribs:

  • Season the pork ribs all over with salt and pepper.
  • In an electric multicooker (such as an Instant Pot), heat the olive oil using the sear or sauté function until shimmering.
  • Add the ribs and cook until browned on 2 sides, about 10 minutes total.
  • Transfer the ribs to a plate.

Sautee the aromatics:

  • Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping, until softened and any browned bits on the bottom of the cooker have dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Pressure cook the pork and chickpeas:

  • Add the drained chickpeas, rosemary sprig, pork ribs (and any accumulated juices, and 8 cups (2L) of water (this should be enough to cover the solids).
  • Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon (3g) baking soda and a pinch of salt.
  • Seal the cooker, bring to high pressure, and cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.

Finish cooking the chickpeas (if necessary):

  • Depressurize the cooker using the quick-release valve.
  • Carefully remove the pork ribs and transfer to a plate; discard the rosemary sprig.
  • If the chickpeas are still noticeably firm at this point, return to high pressure and cook for an additional 15 minutes until fully softened (we did not find this necessary during recipe development and testing, but not all chickpeas cook as quickly as others).

Cook the potatoes:

  • Add the potatoes and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes and chickpeas are very tender, about 25 minutes. If the stew is too thick at this point, thin slightly with additional hot water.
  • Season to taste with salt and return the pork ribs to the pot to warm through.
  • Ladle into individual bowls and top with a generous drizzle of olive oil, some freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Serve.

Notes

  • You want the chickpeas to be very tender. You should be able to crush a chickpea to a soft and tender mush merely by pressing it with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. If that doesn't happen, they're not ready. Don't worry too much about overcooking the chickpeas, they can break down in this particular recipe and still be delicious. Frankly, a little melting of the chickpeas into the broth is desirable, so don't fear that result.
  • Use a paring knife to break irregular chunks of potato off into the stew. Irregular is the operative word here, and in this context it's a good thing. We want to break off pieces that have thin, jagged edges, generally thicker centers, and a width that is different from the length (or depth or whatever dimensions you want to think about). The irregular chunks of potato work so well specifically because of that irregularity. As they cook, the thinner edges of potato cook through rapidly and slough off, thickening the stew slightly with their starch, while the thicker portions cook less quickly and thus remain as perfect rounded-off nubbins.