Pork Chops Mole — The Mexican Chocolate That Belongs at the Table

Back from San Diego. Five days of ocean and tacos and watching my kids discover a world beyond the desert. The highlights: the San Diego Zoo, where Sofia informed every animal of its correct name, diet, and habitat (she's been reading a kids' encyclopedia I bought her) and Diego tried to climb into the gorilla enclosure. The beach, every day, where Diego ate sand (yes, sand, actual sand, handfuls of it, because Diego has never met a substance he won't taste) and Sofia built a sandcastle with the architectural ambition of Frank Lloyd Wright. The fish tacos — I ate at seven different taco shops and took notes in my phone like a food critic, which Jessica found both endearing and ridiculous.

The grill at the rental: I used it three out of five nights. Grilled shrimp with lime and garlic the first night. Carne asada the third night (because even at the beach, we are Riveras). And on the last night, I attempted my own fish tacos — mahi-mahi, grilled instead of fried, with a cabbage slaw, avocado crema, and pickled jalapeños. They were good. Not as good as the walk-up window. But closer. I'm going to keep working on them at home until they're right.

Diego's birthday is tomorrow — August 15th — and we're doing a small party at the house. The boy is turning two. Two years of chaos, joy, destroyed property, eaten crayons, climbed furniture, and a love so fierce it takes my breath away every time he says "Daddy" and reaches for me.

I'm making his birthday cake myself this year — not tres leches (that's Sofia's tradition with Elena), but a chocolate cake with Mexican chocolate frosting. Mexican chocolate, cream, butter, a touch of cinnamon and cayenne. Diego's cake should have a kick, because Diego has a kick. He is a two-year-old who eats jalapeños without flinching. His cake should reflect his personality: sweet, intense, and just a little dangerous.

Reflecting on the trip: the best moment wasn't the zoo or the beach or the tacos. It was Tuesday evening, after dinner, walking back from the taco stand. Sofia was holding my right hand. Diego was on my left hip. Jessica was next to me, her shoulder touching mine. The street was quiet. The palm trees were swaying. The air smelled like salt. And I thought: this is the life I wanted. Not in the specific details — I couldn't have imagined any of this at twenty — but in the shape. The shape of a family walking together after a good meal. That's the shape I've been building toward since I stood next to Roberto at the cinder block grill and learned that food brings people together. All food. Everywhere. Even on a street in San Diego, three hundred miles from home.

Diego’s birthday cake is already planned — Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, a touch of cayenne, because the boy demands intensity in everything he touches — but I wasn’t ready to stop cooking with those flavors once I started. Mole is the reason Mexican chocolate belongs in savory cooking: the same depth, the same warmth, the same quiet heat that makes you slow down and pay attention. These pork chops mole are what I’m making the night after the party, when the balloons are deflating and the kids are asleep and Jessica and I finally sit down together — because the shape of a good life includes a quiet dinner, too.

Pork Chops Mole

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops, about 1 inch thick
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 dried pasilla chile, stemmed and seeded
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 oz Mexican chocolate (such as Ibarra), roughly chopped
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Fresh cilantro and sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Toast the chiles. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the ancho and pasilla chiles and press them flat with a spatula, toasting 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly darkened. Transfer to a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 15 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
2. Build the mole base. In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles, onion, garlic, tomato paste, raisins, toasted sesame seeds, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth. Blend on high until very smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
3. Sear the pork chops. Pat the pork chops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chops 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside; they will finish cooking in the mole.
4. Cook the mole sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan. Pour in the blended chile mixture (carefully — it will spatter) and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until darkened and thickened. Add the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir to combine. Add the chopped Mexican chocolate and stir until fully melted and smooth.
5. Finish the chops in the sauce. Nestle the seared pork chops into the mole sauce, spooning sauce over the top. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes until the pork is cooked through (internal temperature of 145°F). Rest 3 minutes before serving.
6. Serve. Plate the pork chops and spoon the mole generously over the top. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a pinch of sesame seeds. Serve with warm corn tortillas or white rice to catch the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 480mg