Worms and Eyeballs

Note: Originally posted on my old site on June 14, 2005. I’ve made the noodles since then — still delicious!

 

I’ve found a new love: bucatini rigati. This perfect pasta resembles thick spaghetti, being long and cylindrical. However, the strands are hollow and have tiny ridges, both great features for picking up sauce. Combined with the substantial texture of the pasta (cooked al dente), it appeals to all my preferences.

 

As for the dish I used it in, it’s somewhat hit and miss, much like my track record with all of Rachael Ray’s recipes. Sometimes, she comes up with something delicious that’s a hit with everyone (such as her Apricot Chicken or her Bacon and Black Bean Smash), but on occasion, her recipes just look better than they taste (see Super Sloppy Joes).

 

In this case, the worms easily wriggled their way down my throat, but I choked on the eyeballs.

 

The “worms” are, of course, the bucatini, along with the matchstick-cut carrots, snow peas, red bell peppers and bean sprouts. With a light coat of soy sauce, it tasted like a fresher, less greasy and more delicious version of lo mein.

 

The “eyeballs” were chicken meatballs. I’ve had chicken dumplings, but I’ve never cooked with ground chicken. It definitely feels slimier than ground beef. The recipe here looks like it ought to be good, but I found that the ginger overwhelmed the other flavors, even though I think I ended up with less ginger than was called for. Especially with the milder, sweeter poultry in play, I had the uncomfortable sensation of eating a chicken cookie. Maybe it was the hoisin sauce, maybe it was using ground chicken instead of ground chicken breast (I couldn’t find it), maybe it was me using two pounds of chicken instead of 1 1/2 (it only came in 1-pound packages). But they were unappealing. Maybe beef or pork would have been better. Maybe.

 

However, the worms more than made up for the overly sweet eyeballs. If I make it again, it’ll be a nightcrawler-only affair.

 

 

Worms and Eyeballs
Source: Rachael Ray
Yield: 4 servings

 

• 1 ½ lbs. ground chicken breast
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger root
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 small red pepper, 1/4 finely chopped and the remainder thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, Chinese style barbecue sauce
• Salt and coarse black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• ¾ small red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup bean spouts
• 1 cup snow pea pods, julienne cut
• 1 lb. bucatini, cooked to al dente
• ¼ to 1/3 cup dark soy (Tamari) sauce, eyeball it

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

 

Combine chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, finely chopped red bell pepper, hoisin and salt and pepper. Roll meatballs into the size of chicken eyeballs. Place balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and coat lightly with vegetable oil, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Roll balls around with your hands to gently coat with the oil. Roast the chicken eyeballs 10 to 12 minutes in a very hot oven.

 

About 5 minutes from the meatballs coming out of the oven, start stir-frying the veggies. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the sliced red bell pepper, carrots, spouts and pea pods to hot pan. Stir fry 1 minute, then drain noodles and add them to the vegetables. Add dark soy sauce to the noodles and toss to combine and evenly coat.

 

Transfer noodles to a serving platter and top with chicken eyeballs.

 

 

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