Yesterday I got my second shot of vaccine. I felt well until last night. I then experienced mild fever and sore muscles for the whole night and today. I couldn’t leave bed for too long and I’m extremely fatigued.

Luckily, I made my bento yesterday. I love pairing pineapple with pork tenderloin. I got this inspiration from Brazilian churrasco and roasted pineapple. The enzyme in pineapple helps to tenderize the tenderloin and keeps the pork softer and moist.

The tropical fruit smell of pineapple goes really well with the spices. For vegetarians, you can try roasted pineapple slices as a starter or serve with ice cream as a dessert!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Slices Recipe

Yield: 4 bento

Prep time: 10 minutes (excluding marination time)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pork tenderloin marinade:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Few grounded black pepper
• A handful of freshly chopped thyme leaves
• A handful of freshly chopped rosemary
• 2 tablespoon pineapple juice

Pineapple slices:

• 10-12 fresh pineapple slices, 0.4 inches/1 cm thick
• Few cinnamon powder
• Few paprika
• Few sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

1. Rub 1lb pork tenderloin with paprika, minced garlic, salt and few black pepper. Put the pork in a bag and add some freshly grated thyme leaves, rosemary, and pineapple juice. Squeeze out the air in the bag to make sure that the pork is covered with pineapple juice. Marinate overnight.
2. Preheat to 425F.
3. Slice pineapples and lay out the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle few cinnamon powder, paprika, and sugar on each slice, and sprinkle lemon juice evenly one the surface.
4. Place pork in a cast iron pan and brush honey on the surface. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven, and baking sheet at the bottom. Roast for 25-30 minutes.
5. Let pork sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing. It’s going to be very juicy and yummy.

Enjoy the juicy pork with the fragrant pineapple slices!