Saturday, November 26, 2022

East meets West~~Pork Fried Rice and a North Carolina Wine #CabFrancDay #sponsored

I was gifted a bottle of Jones von Drehle Cabernet Franc in celebration of Cab Franc Day that was founded by my friend Lori of Exploring the Wine Glass and Draceana Wines.   I received no monetary compensation for this post and all opinions and writings are strictly my own.

Bottle of Cab Franc

Most of you have probably had Cab Franc blended with other grapes in Bordeaux style wines.  Cab Franc Day was created to honor this varietal and to tell the world that Cab Franc is not just a blending grape but wonderful all on it's own.
We celebrate this day each year on December 4th.  Lori founded this day in 2015 and chose December 4th as it is the anniversary of the death of Cardinal Richelieu who brought the first cuttings of Cab Franc out of the Bordeaux region to the Loire Valley where it gained appreciation as a varietal that could stand on it's own.

Wine and Dinner plate

I first celebrated Cab Franc Day with Lori and our Wine Pairing Weekend Group in 2016 with a bottle of Raats Cabernet Franc from South Africa.    I have had the opportunity to drink many, many bottles of Cab Franc since then.  In fact, in 2019 I had an opportunity to meet Lori in person and spend the afternoon visiting and learning about her wines.  I quickly jumped on the opportunity to join the Draceana Chalk Club and still look forward to receiving my quarterly shipments.

I wanted to share my post with you prior to December 4th so that you have time to pick up a bottle of Cab Franc for your own celebration.  Lori is also holding a round table discussion with many of the winery owners who provided wines for the celebration and I wanted to try the wine I was gifted before I meet the owners and winemakers of Jones von Drehle during that zoom session. 

You can learn more about the round table discussion scheduled for December 2nd on the Cab Franc Day Facebook Page.  I believe that anyone is welcome to join the discussion and learn more about these wines and the wineries celebrating Cab Franc Day.  You will also find information and links to all the wineries that are involved in the celebration this year, including Jones von Drehle on Facebook.

Fried Rice and Cab Franc pin

Jones von Drehle is a family owned winery located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Thurmond, North Carolina.  They produce wine from fruit grown exclusively on their 30 acre vineyard where they produce their wines and hold small, intimate wine tastings by reservation.

I opened this bottle of 2017 Cab Franc, that has won numerous awards and medals, to pair with a casual dinner of Pork Fried Rice made with leftovers from a Filipino inspired Friendsgiving the prior evening.

The wine is 100% Cab Franc, has an alcohol content of 13.5 % and sells for $28.  It is lighter than a Cabernet Sauvignon and being more acidic is more food friendly, in my opinion.  It is medium mouth feel and fruity lending itself to being nicely paired with pork.  I often find Cab Sauv overwhelms pork so this is a great red wine to choose when serving a pork dish.  I think it would even work well with a roasted chicken.  

Of course, Cab Franc does pair well with beef too, as shared in this post for Hungarian Short Ribs.  The Jones von Drehle family suggested pairing their wine with roasted duck.  I know that Cab Franc went very well with this Pan Seared Duck Breast.   I knew that Cab Franc lends itself well to Asian Flavors too, as I found when I paired a bottle with Korean Pork Tenderloin, so I was comfortable with pouring it with the Pork Fried Rice that I'm sharing today.

It was a very nice pairing indeed.  The fried rice was made with leftover Pork Adobo and bits and pieces of vegetables that had been purchased to go into the Lumpia I had served as an appetizer.  The flavors melded together so nicely in the dish and the fruity acidity of the wine allowed to flavors to shine.

Pork Fried Rice

Fried Rice using leftovers is often on my Weekly Menu as a way to make a second meal when I expect to have leftovers.  Often I will make a little extra to ensure that I have leftovers.  In today's recipe I used leftover pork but any leftover meat will do.  If you don't have leftover rice you want to make your rice early and let it chill in the refrigerator before making this dish.  Any bits and pieces of vegetables you find in your crisper works in this dish.

I have been to North Carolina a couple of times as we enjoyed scuba diving in the Outer Banks.  I look forward to driving inland on our next visit and exploring the rest of the state.  Stopping for wine tasting at the gorgeous Jones von Drehle vineyard will be on my to do list.  In the meantime I look forward to meeting the owner/winemakers at our upcoming Zoom session.




Yield: 4 servings
Author: Wendy Klik
Pork Fried Rice

Pork Fried Rice

Fried Rice using leftovers is often on my Weekly Menu as a way to make a second meal when I expect to have leftovers. Often I will make a little extra to ensure that I have leftovers. In today's recipe I used leftover pork but any leftover meat will do. If you don't have leftover rice you want to make your rice early and let it chill in the refrigerator before making this dish. Any bits and pieces of vegetables you find in your crisper works in this dish.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Ingredients

  • 1 T. peanut oil
  • 1/4 c. diced onion
  • 1 c. leftover rice
  • 8 oz. leftover pork, sliced into bite size pieces
  • 1 egg
  • 1 T. garlic paste
  • 1 T. ginger paste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2-3 c. assorted vegetables, cut into small pieces (I used green beans, carrots, bean sprouts and coleslaw mixture this time)
  • 1/4 c. tamari or soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large wok, add the onion and cook until translucent and fragrant.
  2. Add the rice to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally until it starts to crisp. Push to the edges of the wok and breat the egg in the center. Season with salt and pepper and stirfry, mixing the rice in with the egg as it scrambles.
  3. Stir in the pork, garlic and ginger. Add the vegetables and continue stirring and cooking until crisp tender.
  4. Add the tamari and stir to coat. Taste, add additional seasonings as needed and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

457.09

Fat (grams)

17.39

Sat. Fat (grams)

5.57

Carbs (grams)

55.36

Fiber (grams)

5.52

Net carbs

49.84

Sugar (grams)

0.8

Protein (grams)

19.92

Sodium (milligrams)

963.85

Cholesterol (grams)

81.74

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