Mole Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS

COLORADITO MOLE (makes almost 8 cups):

• 6 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded

• 4 morita chiles, seeded

• 5 cups tomatoes, chopped

• ½ cup sesame seeds

• 1 ½ TBS ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 8 whole peppercorns

• 6 whole cloves

• ¼ raisins

• ½ cup raw almonds

• 1 small white onion, quartered

• ¼ cup garlic cloves (about 6 to 8)

• 6 ½ oz Mexican chocolate (or semi-sweet)

• 3 cups chicken stock (no/low sodium)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 hoja santa leaves

• Salt

• Canola oil

PORK CHOP MARINADE (enough for 2 to 4):

• Pork chops

• 7 guajillo chilies, seeded

• 3 morita chilies, seeded

• 4 garlic cloves

• ½ cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

• 3 TBS mole sauce

• 1 TBS salt

• 1 cup water

CORN SALSA (make about 2 cups):

• 1 large corn on the cob

• ½ cup of black beans, rinsed

• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

• ¼ cup diced red onion

• 1 TBS fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley

• Cotija cheese (for topping)

GO FOR IT

COLORADITO MOLE:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat, then put dried guajillo and morita chilies in and cover for 30 minutes to soften

2. Once soft, remove from water and set aside while also saving 2 cups of the soaking liquid for later

3. In another pot, place chopped tomatoes with ¼ cup of water and cook over medium heat until color lightens (about 5 minutes) then set aside

4. In a cast iron or large skillet, toast the sesame seeds, cinnamon, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, cloves until fragrant (about 3 to 5 minutes for this amount of spices), then grind these spices together in a spice grinder, pestle and mortar, or molcajete

5. In a blender combine ground spices, soaked chilies, garlic, raisins, almonds, onions, and 1 cup of the chili soaking liquid and blend until smooth

6. In a large pot or dutch oven heat about 3 TBS of oil over medium heat and then add your blended mix and additional 1 cup of chili soaking water and simmer for 10 minutes

7. Add tomatoes and chocolate and begin tasting and added in salt as desired (it may take a bit)

8. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and hoja santa leaves and simmer for another 10 minutes to reduce (sauce should be thick and creamy)

9. Remove leaves once finished and then using an immersion blender, blend everything until pureed throughout (you can also use a blender but that will require you to let the sauce cool a bit before doing)

10. You can now enjoy your mole but I find that flavor improves after sitting in the refrigerator overnight

PORK CHOP MARINADE:

1. In the same way as the mole above but using far less water, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, remove from heat, and then place in chilies and cover for 30 minutes to soften

2. Place soften chilies and all soaking water in a food processor or blender and add in garlic, orange juice, lime juice, mole, and salt, then blend until smooth

3. In a bowl or large ziplock bag, cover pork chops in liquid and marinade in refrigerator 6 hours or overnight

CORN SALSA:

1. Rub corn with a bit of oil and char on a cast iron or grill, rotating until brown on all sides (about 10 to 15 minutes)

2. Cut kernels from cob and toss in bowl with beans, diced tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, salt, and cilantro

3. Crumble with cotija cheese before serving with your meal or just as a general dip to enjoy for chips on the side

FINISHING STEPS:

1. Remove pork chops from marinade and wipe away marinade before cooking

2. On a grill or on cast iron, cook your pork chops on high heat, flipping once, until internal temperature reaches 145°F, then let sit for 10 minutes before serving

3. Meanwhile, use a saucepan to heat mole sauce

4. When pork has finished resting, serve on a plate with mole sauce and corn salsa

NOTES:

This really needs to be a 2 day affair. As I mentioned, the mole sauce will improve in flavor overnight in the same way people are familiar with when it comes to Italian tomato sauces. You can also take the 1st day to make your marinade and corn salsa so that when you cook then next day, you can throw everything together quickly and enjoy your meal without feeling like you just ran a kitchen marathon.

As much as I love the Oaxaca cookbook by Bricia Lopez, I found her mole instructions a bit vague. Personally, if I had some of the best sauces available this side of the border, I too might be a bit reluctant to give up all trade secrets. So in this case I had to improvise and learn a few things along the way. For one, when you chop your tomatoes, don’t discard the guts. You’ll need that flavor for later (a lesson I had to learn to hard way and adjust for down the line). There was also no instruction on blending the tomatoes so I just did so at the end as must be done. Personally, I would say you could even blend them separately before adding them to the pot with the chili and spice mix so that you don’t have to blend at the end should you lack an easy to use immersion blender.

What adjustments I did make are minimal. I added the morita chilies to the mole. I love the smoky flavor they add along with a tiny bit more heat than is given off by the guajillo. I’m also advising 1 ½ TBS of cinnamon (maybe even just 1 TBS) instead of the whole 2 TBS suggested by Bricia. Cinnamon is great. I just thought it was a tad too much for my taste

Also take note that this is quite a bit of mole sauce. Far more than you will need for 2 to 4 pork chops. But that’s okay. With as laborious as mole sauce can be you will enjoy having leftovers. Simply freeze and thaw as needed. Serve with enchiladas or as a simple dip for chips. Or, just make half of this if you don’t want to make as much. Fair warning - should you make less, you will regret it after tasting.