Recipe: Italian Meatballs

Every time I think of meatballs, I am reminded of the scene in Lady and the Tramp where they are sharing a meatball and spaghetti dinner. It makes the meal so romantic and the meatball wasn’t just meatball, it became a sign of affection. Anyway, I didn’t grow up eating meatballs. My mom didn’t have time for that, she had an army of 6 kids to feed! It was ground beef in red sauce. I grew up thinking meatballs were hard to make. I know now that they are easy, makes a ton and are great for freezing.

Zaycon Foods- meatlballs

And so, without further ado, I give the easiest meatball recipe from our awesome in-house food man, Matt H:

Meatballs are a great thing to keep in the fridge. Super versatile, fast, easy and well, dern it, people like them.
What I don’t like is the list of ingredients on store bought meatballs. When I was at the market, the package listed no fewer than 21 ingredients. 21!

These have 8 including Salt & Pepper AND they are 93/7 Zaycon Ground Beef, but the best part is that YOU decide what goes into them for your family.
Zaycon Foods-meatballsIngredients:

- 2 lbs of 93/7 Zaycon Ground Beef
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
-1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Zaycon Foods- meatballsZaycon Foods- meatballs
Zaycon Foods- meatballsYour hands are your best tool, so scrub them up and get all up in it. Mix all the ingredients until smooth consistency.Zaycon Foods- meatballs Zaycon Foods- meatballsI used a medium sized portion scoop then smoothed them into balls, then onto a baking sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup with a cooling rack on top. Zaycon foods-meatballsZaycon foods-meatballsZaycon foods-meatballsBake in a 375 oven until done about 20 minutes. If you’re going to make a large quantity, allow them to cool, then freeze in a single layer on a sheet, then after they are frozen, put into large freezer bags.
Zaycon Foods-meatballsTIP! If you’re wanting to stretch your ground beef and nobody in the family is sensitive to soy products, you can extend the beef by adding textured soy product, available in either the bulk section or health food section of your market.

I think next time I get a case, I’ll turn one full 10 pound chub into meatballs. They freeze great and are ready in seconds.

Zaycon Foods-meatballs

Matt H.

You can head over to the Zaycon Foods website for information on our ground beef and many of our other beef products!

Recipe: Pasta Carbonara

DSC_19898 to 10 slices of Zaycon bacon, cut into pieces
1 box good spaghetti, cooked al dente
2-4 teaspoons of minced garlic
4 of the freshest eggs you can get your hands on, beaten
Freshly cracked black pepper
coarse salt (Kosher will work fine) for pasta water
A smallish wedge of parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese finely grated (make sure you grate your own, otherwise you get that powdery coating on it and it fouls this recipe up) maybe 6 ounces?

In a sauté pan, put the cut up bacon and a little water, (1/3 to 1/2c) cook until the water evaporates and the bacon begins to sizzle. You want the bacon to be brown and cooked and slightly sizzley, but not crispy – that’s what the water is for – it makes it tender. Add the minced garlic and find a place to sit down, because your pan contents will make you weak in the knees. Cook until you just can’t stand it anymore and you completely forget this is hot bacon and then I burnt my fingertips snatching a piece. There won’t be enough fat to remove – this is Zaycon Bacon we’re talking here. Set aside your bacon mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, cheese & pepper

Cook the pasta in salted water while the bacon is cooling. This is why I said go with 8-10 slices because you will lose bacon. It’s going to happen, so make peace with it.

When you strain your pasta, reserve about a cup of the pasta water and slowly whisk about half into the egg mixture. In goes the bacon/garlic followed by the hot pasta. Toss until everything gets nicely coated and the sauce thickens.

This is EXACTLY how I cooked the pasta in the picture and I’m here to tell you, the second I was done taking the picture, I scarfed that.

Matt H.

Keepin It Fresh: Sweepstakes

Chicken Soup for the Soul is known for their books full of uplifting stories, but did you know they have a food product line with broths, sauces and meal builders?

We are BIG fans of Chicken Soup of the Soul and have teamed up with them on an awesome giveaway where you can enter to win not just your favorite Zaycon Foods products, but also Chicken Soup for the Soul’s books and products from their food line! You can enter here!

If you just can’t wait to win, you can go HERE and see what products are coming in your area.

Good Luck to you!

A few new changes mean better service to you.

New to Zaycon Foods this year is our route changes. These new changes may be a bit confusing at first, so I will explain what it means to you.

Group 1= south and group 2= north. This will affect delivery dates in your area, for example; chicken sales are open now for group 1 and will be delivered March 2nd. Group 2 will be open Feb 23rd with March 23rd delivery. While group 1 is having chicken delivered, group 2 will be getting their roasts, steaks and pulled pork delivered. Then the routes will switch and group 2 will get chicken and group 1 will get roasts, steaks and pulled pork.

This is going to take some getting used to, but will provide some relief to our suppliers and to our drivers and, the best news, expand our locations!

map-division blog

We look forward to serving your area and…

See you in the parking lot!