Request: The Sims - Goopy Carbonara

Despite my love of pasta/spaghetti, I’ve never made carbonara in my life. I’m mostly familiar with it coming in a powdered form in packets that you add milk to, with the result being more oddly acidic than creamy or delicious. I also understand that this is possibly the most bastardised recipe in Italian history, and in the effort of gaming authenticity I’ll be destroying carbonara once again by using cream and an onion, as is a mandatory inventory staple for any Sim.

Please make sure you have a smoke alarm installed before going any further, and don’t get distracted by a sudden urge to use the bathroom - the results could be disastrous! If a Sim can master this classic by Level 2, then so can anyone (or so you’d hope).

This recipe serves 2-3.

What you will need: A large pot, a large frying pan/skillet, a colander and a grater.

Ingredients:

250g / 9 oz Spaghetti/Bucatini

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Small White Onion (Diced)

140g / 1 Cup Smoked Pancetta (Cubed)

25ml / .85 fl oz. White Wine (Optional)

2 Large Eggs (Room Temperature)

5 Tablespoons Percorino Cheese (Finely Grated)

40ml / 1.35 fl oz. Double/Heavy Cream

Fresh Black Pepper

Fresh Parsley (Chopped)

Making the Goopy Carbonara:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook your spaghetti ‘al dente’.
2. Meanwhile, heat a the olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and fry it quickly until it’s lightly crisped. If you’re adding the wine, do so now and cook until evaporated.
3. By now your spaghetti should be done, strain it off but keep the water it cooked in to thin out the sauce later. Add the spaghetti to the pancetta and onion on a low heat and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, cream, grated cheese and pepper together. Take the frying pan off the heat and add the cream mixture, some chopped parsley and toss until the spaghetti is evenly coated.
5. Use the spaghetti water to thin out the sauce as desired, then ‘Call Household’ to the meal.

This Goopy Carbonara would be an incredible final meal for any Sim destined to enter a pool sometime later today, only to have the ladder mysteriously disappear… like I know so many of you are planning to do. For shame.

Like this? You might also enjoy The Sims - Key Lime Pie.

Request: The Sims – Key Lime Pie

Last Thursday it was Adam’s birthday, he hates the idea of birthday cakes and any kind of fanfare but I couldn’t let his day go by without him having something nice to eat. His favourite dessert is Key Lime pie and I just happened to have a string of requests for the same dish from when I made The Sims Mac and Cheese. Although not the most bizarre dish to appear in The Sims (I’m looking at you ‘Eggs Machiavellian’, eggs and watermelon? Really?!) it seems to be one of the most popular in-game desserts - I know that my Sim bakes it on a regular occasion only to leave servings of it around the house for impending pie emergencies. Since it now counts as a Gourmet Gaming post, it’s no longer a birthday treat and therefore acceptable for a non-celebration… right?

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: A 9-inch pie dish, a whisk, a grater and a large bowl.

For the Crust:

200g / 2 Cups Crushed Digestives (or Graham Crackers)

2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger

45g / ¼ Cups Caster/Granulated Sugar

135g / ⅝ Cup Butter (Melted)

For the Lime Filling:

4 Large Egg Yolks

400ml / 1 ¾ Cups Condensed Milk

6 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Lime Zest (Grated)

To Garnish:

Lime Jelly (Jell-o)

120ml / ½ Cup Double Cream

2 Tablespoons Icing/Confectioners Sugar

5 Quarter-Lime Slices

Making the Key Lime Pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F and place a baking tray inside. Grease and line a pie dish and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the crushed digestives, ginger, sugar and butter then press evenly into the prepared pie dish. Place the pie dish in the oven on top of the preheated baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Once cooked remove and set aside to cool.
3. In a clean bowl whisk the egg yolks until pale and fluffy and gradually add the condensed milk. Pour in the lime juice and add the lime zest, mix well then pour the mixture into the cooled pie base.
4. Place the pie back into the oven (still at 175C/350F) for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has set. Once cooked remove the pie and allow to cool before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
5. Prepare the lime jelly (Jell-o) as per the packet instructions. Allow the jelly mixture to cool significantly, once lukewarm remove the chilled pie from the fridge and carefully pour a small amount of the jelly liquid over (just enough to cover the pie filling) then return to the fridge until the jelly has set.
6. Before serving, whip the double cream with the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Spoon the cream into an icing bag and pipe the cream in a circle around the edge and pipe a dollop into the middle of the pie. Arrange the lime slices around the centre.

I’m not usually a fan of citrus things, I often find lemony flavours over powering and they just make me feel like I’m eating kitchen cleaner. I had it in my mind that this was going to come out terrible, I didn’t even know what Key Lime Pie was supposed to taste like since I’d never dared try any before. It reminded me mostly of a cheese cake and amazingly the lime jelly added a nice sweetness against the tart filling. I’ve decided that baked creamy-pie-cake things are becoming my forte which is ironic considering they’re the one thing I can’t really eat but I suffer the small taster slice for you guys… Oh and Happy Birthday, Adam!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Sims - Mac and Cheese.

The Sims - Mac and Cheese

I’d been wanting to do something from The Sims for a really long time. I’ve been a life long fan and have probably spent too much time with the virtual versions of my family than the real thing (I like them more, I can make them do whatever I want…). I love that there’s so much scope and as the series has gone on the amount of food you can cook just keeps increasing as does the relationship between food and the Sims in-game; you can have a vegetarian or someone who will only eat burnt hamburgers over a sink. So it was hard to pick an iconic food until someone mentioned that mac and cheese was, for them, the thing they remembered most about The Sims. It’s the one main meal you can cook from the very beginning and for most Sims will probably be their staple food until the Grim Reaper comes for them. It’s a well known fact that I’m completely addicted to mac and cheese, I probably eat it at least once a week (sometimes three) and I blame this addiction on the fact that I couldn’t eat cheese for years until finally some smart people figured out how to remove the lactose from the cheese (thank you, food scientists, I owe you my happiness). This is a family recipe that I’ve improved on over the years and it’s always perfect when you just want to gorge on something and get that ‘warm-fuzzies’ feeling.

This recipe serves 2-4.

What you will need:

A non-stick pot, a large pot and a deep tray or casserole dish, baking paper or tinfoil.

Ingredients: 

250g Macaroni

40g Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

350ml - 500ml Milk

120g Cheese(s) - I use a mild cheddar

½ Teaspoon English Mustard

Salt & Pepper

Breadcrumbs

Making the Mac and Cheese:

1. Prep your tray or casserole dish by lining it with baking paper or tin foil - this will save you tears when it comes to washing up. 
2. Boil some water in a large pot and cook the macaroni for about 6-8 minutes. 
3. Once cooked, remove from the water, strain, pour into the prepared tray/dish and set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C.
5. Melt the butter in a non-stick pot on a high heat. Once melted add the flour a spoonful at a time and mix until the mixture comes together and it no longer sticks to the sides - the pot should look clean.
6. Slowly add the milk, about 25ml at a time, and stir continually so as not to burn the sauce. You might not need all the milk or you may need more - once it is runny but still a little thick it’s perfect.
7. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cheese (chop it into small pieces of grate it in and feel free to use as many cheeses as you like). Mix well until the cheese has melted.
8. Add the mustard, season well with the salt and pepper and stir once again.
9. Pour the mixture over the macaroni and mix until all the pasta is coated. Sprinkle on the breadcrumbs and put in the oven for around 20-25 minutes or until it is golden and crispy on top.

I like to demolish this dish with some home-made garlic bread so I recommend you do the same, seriously the only thing I can write is: NOMNOMNOM. Screw ambrosia, I’m sure it’s actually mac and cheese that’s the food of the Gods so getting your cooking skill to level 10 is such a waste of time. Spend it doing more constructive things like rooting in your neighbours trash can or playing a game (within a game - so meta).

Like this? You might also enjoy the Sims - Goopy Carbonara.