Family Chow Hall

New Fave - Pork Mole

January 10th, 2010

I adapted this recipe from The Anti-Inflammation Diet. This recipe is for our friend Ethan and my sister Tina.

I have tried Mole from the store - purchased in a jar from the “Ethnic” aisle at Walmart and not liked it at all. But I was willing to try this one from scratch.

The original recipe was, of course, for chicken mole. I made it with chicken breasts and we liked it quite a bit. A week later, I tried it on shredded pork tenderloin and it was gone before I knew what happened.

Pork Mole

2-4 pork tenderloins
4 T. olive oil
1 onion
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
24 oz. jar of salsa (I use mild Pace)
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. chili powder (yes, one-half of a cup)
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
2 T. cocoa powder
tortillas and cheddar cheese for serving

First of all, sear the tenderloins in 2 T. of olive oil in a large skillet. You should brown all sides and then transfer the tenderloins to your crockpot with about a cup of water. If you don’t have a crock pot, use a roasting pan and be prepared to roast it in the oven at low heat for several hours. In the crockpot, I like to leave the tenderloins cook for 6 hours or more. After about 6 hours, they are usually very tender and falling apart. Yum. Remove and let cool slightly.

Next, heat the other 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion and garlic. Add the salsa, broth, chili powder, peanut butter, and cocoa. Gently stir until the peanut butter is melted and it’s all mixed together nicely. Set this mixture aside.

Now turn back to your pork tenderloins, which hopefully have lived up to their name by being very tender. Cut into large chunks and shred them apart with two forks, then replace them into the crockpot. Pour the mole sauce over top and mix in gently. This is your pork mole.

Our favorite way to eat it is on a flour tortilla with some shredded cheddar cheese. It’s also very good with rice or potatoes. Enjoy!

Entry Filed under: Recipes