Curly Endive and pork pasta

One of my favourite things to do is cook. I will often improvise on existing recipes to create my own signature dishes. Few days ago I ended up buying curly Endive (by mistake) instead of red lettuce. Since I am not a big fan of endive and it was organic and expensive, I looked up some recipes and created this amazing dinner. The idea was to get rid of the mild bitterness of endive while preserving its crispness.

Curly Endive and Pork Pasta

3 pork chops (boneless, 1.5" thick)
One large head of curly endive
1 packet penne pasta
3 medium roma tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons Black bean paste (available at any major grocery store)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons pure honey
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 small hot green chillies (available at the Indian store) or substitute 1 habanero (omit if wimp)



Boil pasta according to directions (al dante , put a teaspoon of salt in the water)
Cut pork chops into 2 inch strips and add honey, black bean paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and marinate for 15 minutes
In the meantime, chop the endive into bite size pieces and chop tomatoes into cubes.
Heat the oil in a large wok or pan. Add garlic and fry for a few minutes till it starts to turn brown and releases aroma. Add the marinated pork and cook on high heat for 5 to 7 minutes till all the pork is opaque and cooked through (do not overcook). Add curly endive over the pork and cover the wok/pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or till all the endive is blanched. Add tomatoes and green chillies (optional).
In a large mixing bowl or Corning dish, layer pasta and pour the pork over it. Mix the pasta and pork and serve with your favourite wine.