Kat Thompson is the audience editor of Eater’s Southern California/Southwest region. The rhythmic pounding of my late grandma’s century-old mortar and pestle is as familiar to me as any lullaby. The ...

I grew up eating mole (pronounced mō-leh). It was part of Mom’s rotation of more special recipes that made an appearance every couple of months. She used a jar of premade mole paste from our local ...