Final Fantasy XIV: Spaghetti Carbonara

I haven’t played Final Fantasy XIV in over 3 years but I do have a few friends that have dipped into the game from time to time. These last few weeks, I have slightly considered jumping back into the game. About every year, I get an itch to play MMOs and right now I’m kind of getting that feeling. Good thing my schedule is too tight to start one back up but that doesn’t mean I can’t look back at the fun times I had in the game. This game had one of the best dungeon party finders I had seen. I loved being able to group up with Jeff and just doing dungeon roulettes. We had a very easy time getting into dungeons because he played a tank and I mained a healer. Who knows if I’ll jump back in but I do know there are 2 (soon to be 3) expansions worth of content for us to dive into if we so choose to.

I had forgotten how much food is in Final Fantasy XIV. Square Enix does an amazing job of really creating beautiful food items in games. Even though I’m not currently playing the game I’m always taking a look at the delicious food items the players in Eorzea are enjoying. There are so many new recipes and I need to start making more of these. For now I’m going to go back and create an item that was in the game when I was playing, spaghetti carbonara. Carbonara has always been a bit intimidating to me. After working on this recipe, it isn’t too bad as long as you remove the main pot from the heat source before adding the eggs. There is enough heat in the pasta to warm the eggs but not heat them too quickly and causing them to scramble. Final Fantasy XIV takes the carbonara and elevates it by topping it with a poached egg. I’m now under the mindset that all dishes should be topped with a poached egg. It makes this dish so wonderful!

Ingredients:
30 grams parmesan cheese
30 grams romano cheese
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
8 oz (240 g) pancetta, cut into large cubes
5 (20 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp canola oil
black pepper
1 lb (454 g) spaghetti

Additionals
1 poached egg per serving, recipe here
chives, chopped
parmesan cheese
black pepper

Heat water, enough that will cover the pasta, in a large pot over high heat. When it comes to a boil, add 1 ½ tbsp of salt.

While the water is heating, in a bowl combine the egg yolks, whole egg, half of the parmesan, half of the romano cheese, and about 1 tablespoon of pepper. Whisk together until well combined.

Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add the canola oil and allow to heat up. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy, about 8-12 minutes.

Half way through, start cooking your pasta. You want to cook the pasta until al dente. Before pouring the pasta in a strainer, make sure to scoop up and set aside about 2 cups of the salted water.

Back to the pot with the pancetta, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta water and bring to a boil.

Stir until the water begins to reduce. Add the pasta and stir together rigorously.

Remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir. Carefully pour the egg mixture in and keep stirring. It is important that you keep stirring because you don’t want the eggs to scramble. Instead you are looking for a glossy sauce.

Stir in the remain cheese. If the sauce appears to be too thick, add additional pasta water to the pasta to help thin out the sauce. Make sure to add water in small portions so you don’t make the sauce too runny. Taste and season with additional pepper or cheese if needed. You shouldn’t need to add any salt because the pasta water and pancetta should have you covered in that department.

When serving a portion, place some pasta on a plate and top with a poached egg, chopped chives,  and freshly grated parmesan and romano cheese.

Note: This is an unofficial recipe and not approved by Square Enix.