Pan seared Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops and Endive

Unlike last week’s time consuming recipe, this week I have for you a very quick and easy to prepare dinner, which nevertheless has lots of flavor and different textures.
This “all in one pan” dish is not a recipe per se, but more of an idea for improvising with whatever ingredients you have at hand.
As pork chops are fairly bland, I opted for some bold flavors to compensate for that. I mixed some sweet and spicy ingredients, and balanced them with a bit of acidity from wine and capers, and some chopped sage for fresh aroma. The endive was cooked quickly, so it was still crispy, and added a pleasant, slightly bitter flavor, that complemented it all. Try it, or improvise your own version, and enjoy.

Notes:
* Scoring the chops helps for quick and even cooking. This way the chops don’t dry up, as unfortunately happens too often with this cut.
* When buying endive, make sure to buy only pale-yellow ones, and keep them in a dark place in the fridge if not using immediately. Green ones were exposed to light, therefore will be overly bitter.
* For larger servings, simply double or triple all ingredients and use a larger pan.
* Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can substitute the pork.

Makes: 2
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 boneless pork loin chops, 1.5” (2 cm) thick, at room temperature
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs honey
1 tsp Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
¼ tsp freshly ground 4 pepper mix
2 Tbs butter
1 endive, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup fruity white wine
1 Tbs chopped fresh sage + 1 Tbs for serving
2 Tbs capers

1. With a sharp knife, make shallow cuts on both sides of the chops and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, Sriracha sauce, salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter in a medium size pan, over medium-high heat. Once it starts to bubble, add the pork chops and endive, cut side down. Fry for 2 minutes, flip over and fry for 2 minutes.

Increase the heat to high, add the wine and the mustard-honey mixture and bring to the boil, tilt the pan and flip over the chops and endive, to cover with the sauce. Add the capers and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the chops and endive to warm serving plates and keep in a warm place. Cook the sauce, swirling the pan occasionally, for 1-2 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Pour the hot sauce over the chops, add fresh sage on top, and serve immediately.