The Pasta Recipe You Never Heard Of (Pasta Alla Gricia)

Forget Carbonara, Amatriciana & Cacio e Pepe. Rome has another Pasta dish hidden up its sleeve. Get exclusive NordVPN deal here : NordVPN.com/frenchguy Risk free with Nord 30 day money-back guarantee.
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Salut,
Alex

[@MrWhangdoodles]

"Usually, I would go all chefy, all geeky. " Alex, doing it outside, in nature, as the shepherds did it, is the chefiest and geekiest thing you could possibly do with this dish.

[@marianopesa298]

Yeah lmao I don't mean to be negative because I liked the video but this is so extra

[@Hybridesque]

It's a throwback to the old cooking shows here in the UK, where they used to do stuff like this.

[@iliketraps9190]

definitely the nerdiest way he couldve done it

[@andreirosca1733]

Disappointed

[@tarantellalarouge7632]

I was waiting for a "garde champêtre" (country guard ???) to arrive and give Alex a ticket for making a fire in the wild ! I am disappointed ....

[@hartmutehuber]

Alex is the only person who can make a 17 minutes film out of a recipiece of only three ingredients and I still remain until the end! It is simply poetic!

[@Soul-Burn]

The less ingredients, the more important each step is!

[@Tyron95]

First was cacio and pepe, just chees and pepper. If you add meat (guanciale) you got pasta alla gricia. Then you can choose: if you add eggs you get the famous carbonara, but if you add tomato sauce you get amatriciana. You can actually see the evolution of just one dish of pasta becoming a universe of taste. Try and enjoy.

[@HyOctaneChyk]

Add them all you get my favorite - Zozzona. Even the name is boss!

[@marcobiagioli3905]

Ora ti manca la sfida finale,ma non credo ne avrai il coraggio... la pajata. Stupiscici

[@fischerderheld4407]

For amatriciana youre missing onion though

[@DumbseekerFrampt]

​@fischerderheld4407 no, the original recipe doesn't include onions. Most italians especially in souths, adds them for more flavor, my mom is one of them and I like it. But if you want the real amatriciana the ingredients are: pecorino, guanciale, pomodori pelati, peperoncino, pasta water and, last but not least, bucatini, spaghettoni or rigatoni.

[@rjfaber1991]

The subtitles joke at the end is just perfect. 😄

[@phightinphil25]

As someone who speaks English and French I loved that 🤣

[@RyanMulligan92]

One of my favorite episodes in a while. Well done, Alex. What about rural, provincial French dishes, please?

[@tastybread69420]

same. this was the best story telling so far.

[@FB711_]

Omg yes

[@AlessandroFanelli83]

Hi Alex. Great series. I wanted to tell you about the fifth Roman pasta, the one everyone seems to foget about. And it might be the only true pasta that represents the city of Rome. As Amatriciana and Gricia come from outside the city, Carbonara is certainly a modern interpretation of both, and cacio e pepe is another shepard pasta, RIGATONI CO' LA PAJATA is an absolute masterpiece of Roman cousin and represents the workers of the big slaughterhouse that used to be in the Testaccio district. It's a simple sauce made with tomato, carrots, onions and veal intestins. Hope you'll find the time to look it up. If you need a place to go in Rome to try it, Cesare al Casaletto is absolutely fantastic and the owner Leonardo will tell you all about it.

[@reggiebuffat]

Pasta with tripe sounds wonderful...

[@Dapur-0073]

Alex might just be the type of man that could go to space only to make space ice cream

[@emmanuelbouilhol]

Don't give him ideas !

[@th.e.nglish]

he could make space jam

[@willingmrkay]

Dry and cold (sans uv). It would be the Ultimate Dry Aged beef.

[@Loufilmmaker]

We're actually going next week.

[@arashai]

@@willingmrkay I'm suddenly compelled to start writing grant proposals.

[@mufumugu]

Alex, you are a poet, we love you from Italy just as you love the best of Italy more than the Italians do.

[@angrypotato_fz]

I LOVED the joke with subtitles at the end! It's so simple, yet unexpected and made me really laugh, and I haven't laughed for a long time. Thank you, Josh or Sean!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Your cinematography is on a whole other level! Aside from making my mouth water with the pasta im left in awe of the amazing nature! You're a master of your crafts!😊😊😊😊

[@pvs1681]

Gotta give camera guy credit too

[@Homer89th]

Hello Alex, actually the shepperds rarely used to cook in the countryside. The "cremina" hype is something more contemporary than anyone can immagine, in fact pasta dishes were used to be called "pastasciutta" (dry pasta) until the 70s and 80s. Shepperds used to cook at home, straining the pasta in a towel, and in another container they used to put the cheese and, who could affort it, the previously cooked guanciale. Then, once in the countryside, at lunchtime, they mixed everyting in the towel and the dish was ready. That was because it would have been uneasy to bring all the single ingredients (along with any other tool they needed just for work), and also cooking them would have been too much time consuming.

[@FrenchGuyCooking]

Interesting. Sources ?

[@Homer89th]

@@FrenchGuyCooking I know this primarily from my father's memories, but if you search "cacio e pepe al fazzoletto" you'll find lots of references.

[@robinder6885]

Simple logic.

[@diegodessy9700]

there are sources of what you say, but "pastasciutta" from what Iknow is to differentiate from pasta fresca (usually ,ade with eggs). The pastasciutta lasts more than a year, pasta fresca a few daysif it is made at home without presevrants

[@michiferrucci]

Alex, you’re such a deep breath of fresh air when it comes to talk about food. Especially when it comes to Italian cuisine, you’re tremendously talented and incredibly curious about getting a better knowledge. As an Italian, I feel HONORED watching such a humble but very skilled guy like you dealing with our food in a professional way. Grazie di tutto Alex and please keep up with the good work you have been doing. My region (Puglia) is also waiting for you 🇮🇹 👢

[@noonynoonynoo]

Same feeling. This video stands out to me for his efforts to find the heart and soul of the dish, and understand it's roots in a respectful way. Sometimes we can find profound poetry in the simplest things. Bravo

[@deniaridley]

Yes! I ate so well in Puglia (Bari).

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

Here is a tip for you Alex to easily control the heat with a wok when you can’t adjust the heat source’s power: squirt water near the edges of the wok, the water will evaporate before touching the food, and take away a lot of heat because water has a lot of specific heat capacity. This is the traditional way woks are used with a wood/coal burning stove.

[@asthmen]

Great advice, I didn't know this method! Let me just add a comment about the physics - what's relevant here is not only the specific heat capacity but also the latent heat. The specific heat capacity, which is the amount of energy absorbed when heating, actually only contributes about half to the cooling: the rest is done by the latent heat (energy absorbed when vaporising). Also the water doesn't evaporate (a slow process occurring at all temperatures) but probably vaporises (what happens when water hits 100°C).

[@ian4683]

​@@asthmen I'm surprised the heating of water takes 50% of the energy. In my head the phase change from liquid to gas would be the big majority.

[@asthmen]

@@ian4683 So I thought about it before writing my comment, off the top of my head I would also have said the phase change would be the big player. But assuming a middling autumn temperature at 20°C: heating: 4180 * (100-20) ≈ 3,3 * 10^5 J/kg phase change = L ≈ 3,3 * 10^5 J/kg ...so about half (but only if you add water around room temperature - if you add hot water, then the heating is a lot less).

[@stuart207]

Great thread, thanks for the education 🙏

[@3thern]

Les sous-titres a la fin 😂😂😂. Alex you just made a piece of art with this video!

[@GordonTravels]

Fly to Sicily to search for the roots of the Pasta alla Norma. That delicious Ricotta Salata is the highlight of that dish. That would make an epic series. Salut!

[@thomasdidonato8418]

Alex is gonna have a last one with pasta zozzona, the fusion of all of the Roman pastas

[@Getpojke]

Oh naughty! 😁 Nice dish.

[@lechatbotte.]

Ooh the videography in this is a feast for the eyes. Then comes the feast for the mouth. It’s all a feast for the soul. Joyuex Noel, Buon Natale

[@henscheco4855]

Your cinematography gives me goosebumps...

[@villaratanaphom-sg3hg]

This just shows that cooking is more than just high class chefs who have an entire world at their fingertips Sometimes it's just you and what you have in your pockets Always thanks alex

[@MarkEichin]

The lession: if you're Alex's cameraman, always carry a spoon :-)

[@theonepoet]

Watching this from hospital after surgery. I needed something Zen like this to chill.

[@natashaszydlak4411]

This is why I love watching you! The way you use all senses to take to a simpler time and place, you took us all there, and it was absolutely beautiful!! Thank you so much for such a wonderful vid! Peace and Love from Australia

[@francescopelle6030]

Te lo scrivo in italiano perché questo video come molti altri lo merita. Riesci ogni volta a entrare nell'essenza di piatti che hanno strutturato la cultura gastronomica italiana. Grazie per questo e grazie di portare persone da tutto il mondo a comprendere la magnificenza che si cela dietro la semplicita.❤ Ti stimo tanto. Francesco

[@felixroeser7031]

The wrongly translated dialogue at the end killed me :D :D Wonderful video as always Alex!! =)

[@Gamovore]

Je suis juste trop content pour toi quand je regarde tes vidéos. Content que tu ai réussi à créer une chaîne sur laquelle tu peux juste te faire kiffer. J'aime te voir partir à l'aventure. Merci pour ces moments de qualité. Vive la cuisine ! 🙂

[@framegrace1]

In Catalonia we have something very similar to Guanciale. It uses the greasier parts bacon instead of the cheek but is cured in the exact same way so it ends up being very similar (I tried both, and is almost undistinguishible). It's called "Pitillo Sec", and is meant to be eaten raw. (Not common, but you can find it for sure on the Plusfresc supermarquets) in some places you can find it as "Cansalada curada", but then the product varies a lot from brand to brand.

[@BryantHH]

i dont have to mention the differance between cured and smoked meat to you - but where (in germany) can i get "Pitillo Sec"? i have a feeling, that i need this in my life :) greetings to catalonia

[@framegrace1]

@@BryantHH You can find it leaner an greasier, but as it uses the belly of the pork, is usually thinner than the guanciale. That also means that some are dryer in the inside. All that depends on the butcher or the brand. Please loook for this on google: Cansalada viada seca or Cansalada viada curada.

[@keyos1955]

No way they are similar

[@jays3350]

You made me miss France and Italy. Haven’t watched your videos in a while but I loved this, thanks

[@Gianpino_Pezzi]

Alex, the pepper!! In the pasta alla gricia the ingredients are: water, salt (that goes in the water a little bit), pepper, guanciale, pasta and pecorino. A real gricia is with all this ingredients, but the method was amazing, I will try that in this summer Cheers from northern Italy

[@Gianpino_Pezzi]

And if you are not going to use pepper your guanciale needs to be very peppery

[@Haghighat1000]

Salut Alex, I've been following your content for 6 years now and I wanna thank you at this point for being an inspiration for people to care about foods and the tradition behind them. Also I admire the curiosity and commitment to answer the questions that haven't been answered yet. Your community appreciates your work and passion!

[@hellagaming3815]

Thank you Alex for another wonderful year of content. I really enjoy your cooking and is slowly making want to cook different things.

[@StarCitizenJorunn]

What an amazing experience, thank you for sharing this with us Alex. So relaxing and beautiful. I may watch it over and over just for the purity of the nature cooking ambiance.

[@drbrainlp]

Always going above and beyond. Thank you for your content Alex!!! You are on another level! ❤

[@KareiTV]

I had eaten Carbonara and All'Amatriciana before but some years ago I discovered Alla Gricia, needless to say it has become my favourite dish to make and eat. Simple to make with only a handful of ingredients but man, all the tastes come to their right, the heartiness of the guanciale with the saltiness and creaminess of the cheese. And lets not forget the black pepper to round it all off. Just amazing. Hats off yet again to your technique with the limited instruments to your disposal. Alors on mange.

[@bertol97]

You've captured the soul of this dish. It's really an amazing episode. Congratulations, it's beautiful.

[@Gilyarth]

This is just gorgeous! I so envy you when you're sitting there enjoying that. Cooking outdoors over an open fire is just the best experience ever, that food tastes so infinitely better than anything else. Thank you Alex for sharing, and salú!

[@Getpojke]

Nice seeing you relax & cook over a fire. A friend & I used to cook over a fire a lot, & often catered for groups outdoors. You learn to build & control fires so some parts are hotter than others for different cooking methods. We reckoned with a knife, fire & Dutch ovens we could prepare pretty much anything that we could cook indoors in a kitchen & friends would challenge us...I don't think we ever failed one. I think the one that impressed guests the most were the comté soufflés, but with a little practice they weren't so difficult.

[@Joseju]

You outdid yourself, Alex! Outstanding cinematography!

[@Loufilmmaker]

Thank you so much 🙏🏼

[@SubaruLove]

You are always pleasant. I appreciate the deep dives into specific foods or ingredients.❤

[@jr-vq6vj]

@FrenchGuyCooking I watched your video around 1:30 PM and could not help but pull out my paella pan and take my scrap meats and tomato sauce to make pasta in it. As you have demonstrated, the pasta starches added wonderfully to the sauce that developed. I added 2 cm sized onions early after the pasta had flexed. You had definitely spiked my appetite and demonstrated how easy it can be to eat well, even when literally on the run.

[@Exmorted]

Next thing, might be to discover Pasta Alla Zozzona (roughly translating into 'Dirty pasta' but has many different quirks in the translation as zozzo also could mean greedy, greasy, succulent and many more things). It's effectively a combination of Carbonara and Amatriciana (some would argue that it's a combination of all four classic roman pastas). It consists of guanciale, tomatoes, pecorino cheese, egg yolks, and then a wildcard (being pork sausages). It's creamy and intense, and I don't think the Romans could've given it a much more fitting name than "filthy" (in the best of ways)

[@leonardo_8322]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@UrbanPanic]

Basically Italian Garbage Plate?

[@davidfranchetti4935]

Exactly! Thats what I commented also 👌🏼😄🔥 Its sooo goood 👌🏼

[@SuitUpDubstep]

This video was absolutely fantastic. Loved the scenic shots in the beginning.

[@eddymadia7655]

I love your pasta videos! Now it’s time to explore new regionals pasta dishes and if I can give you a suggestion you should try pasta alla genovese (from Napoli), it’s something that I’m sure you will love

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love seeing you outside alex! The experience is always great! Love your content ❤❤❤

[@dominiquejackson6107]

I go through these phases where I have very little appetite or very little interest in cooking, and then I remember I can come watch a couple of your videos and I'm completely inspired again 🤩❤️ Also very the end is sweet, sharing is caring !!! 😊

[@alpacagirl4622]

Incredible setting and content, thank you Alex

[@markmulder996]

love it! I'm no stranger to alla Gricia, but this year i'm planning to build an outdoor kitchen in my garden, and the vibe you have going in this video is totally what i'm going to try to carry forward into my garden kitchen. More people should go into nature with a wok, some guanciale, pecorino and pasta in the backpack :)

[@dwaynewladyka577]

It's good to get out in nature, and cook. That pasta dish looks heavenly. Sometimes the best dishes use few ingredients. Cheers, Alex! 👍🏻👍🏻✌️

[@Mo-dj1yp]

I really appreciate the different takes on the "donde esta la biblioteca" joke lmao

[@mariaelenaorozco7312]

I so enjoyed this journey with you, it was like a great movie for me. Really put me in touch with nature with you as if I was there….Muchas Gracias para todo

[@rlnel]

So much atmosphere in this video! My favourite episode in a long time.

[@XekTOr89]

What an experience this must've been, thanks for sharing, Alex!

[@grahamsong4585]

You're such a good videographer Alex. I love the way you present your videos

[@DannyNorway]

So much feelings in this video, the respect for food and origin is so beautiful🙌 great work😍

[@StanislavPogrebnyak]

Dope translation in the end. Great stuff! Thanks Alex!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Happy holidays alex! Wish you all the best and thanks for your videos! 🎄🎄🎄❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@jetporter]

This is your best video up to this point. How lovely to be in the woods. I must try this.

[@TeddieEddieBear]

Thanks for posting on my birthday Alex, it feels like a little present from my favorite KZbin channel ❤

[@jimmyquck]

You're an excellent filmmaker Alex, those first 15 seconds were magical

[@chrisre9847]

The thing I like most about Alex is his "celebration of food" with his very own style. The curiosity, the testing and experimentation and the visualization of it all just makes me come back for more, just like at a restaurant with a great chef, where the experience is more than just the sum of the single dishes.

[@aelitalens]

Sooooooo cozy video 😊 Thank you!

[@padders1068]

Salut Alex! Great video, this format is beau! Thanks for sharing! ❤

[@kristoforiluca]

This is what food should be about...choose ingredients with care, cook with love and enjoy it with people ❤ splendid 🎉

[@nilsgunnarkohler6435]

"there is something about this...very human..." I felt that one!

[@tifftight5737]

that was inspiring! went out in the woods, spend a night and made that dish! thanks for that!

[@rerolley]

When we are out camping, we often say "everything tastes better outdoors".

[@yoitsdan]

Set and setting can add so much to a dining experience. It's like eating fish and chips on a cold day on the coast.

[@bertol97]

The quality is outstanding, I'm so impressed by it

[@yesno5286]

great video, enjoyed the nature and the artistry.

[@feralgrandad4429]

one of my favourite videos you've uploaded......thankyou

[@stefanosnapshots463]

Salut Alex ! I didn't know you spoke Italian! Keep it up & happy festive season!!!🎉

[@leightoncooke]

Great pasta. I love cooking outdoors. Bravo Alex!

[@miquerto]

that was really cool, thanks for sharing it.

[@MasterTheKeys]

Thank you for this Alex!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@victoriyap]

awesome aesthetic of the video, plot and the dish. bravissimo!

[@merlinjover5689]

"where is the library" is such a great inside-joke

[@jperin001]

Is that a reference to a Cicero quote?

[@ianflem3717]

Thank you for sharing these recipe. First time hearing these too.

[@aris1956]

This is one of the four famous dishes of Roman cuisine that you absolutely must know, along with the.....Carbonara, Amatriciana and Cacio e Pepe. When you are in Rome sometime, you must try all four of them.

[@mohd8218]

Those pasta dishes, the emulsion he talks about, im obsessed. Sometimes i cook not because i want to eat pasta but i want to get it right😂

[@mste456]

great vid Alex, would be a fun mini series exploring some rural dishes and cooking them as such in the wild

[@Otherman101]

I like the idea of finding the soul of a dish before you tackle it back in the studio. Fun video!

[@polasboek]

Your videos are awesome! Loved the Ramen stuff too

[@paul912scott]

Beautiful video, thanks for sharing!

[@JB-ch2sw]

That was great! This reminds me of the nobles who held shepherd games in the castle gardens in the Baroque era to enjoy the simple life! Could only be surpassed by a series about paleo cooking

[@udoheinz7845]

Love the pasta videos pasta has a special place in my heart

[@upg8520]

Dear Alex, I think you may get crazy when you will discover the "spaghetti all'assassina". They are truly a masterpiece and about unkown. But la pasta alla Gricia, if you have traveled in Rome or you are Italian, are quite famous. A part of that point, your videos are amazing like ever ❤

[@upg8520]

@FrenchGuyCooking please go to Bari, and then repeat the recipe. You will not regret. Who is writing comes from the rice and risotto area, but they are astonishing. Hope I made you interested 😉 Bisous Alex

[@deniaridley]

I agree. Definitely one of the best things I ate in Bari! ... and that says a lot.@@upg8520

[@KulinaryAdventures]

Love the outdoor cooking! So beautiful!!

[@ericpmoss]

And it tastes so much better in the fresh air.

[@KulinaryAdventures]

@@ericpmoss would be cool to do a taste test comparison!

[@sebastianoyarzo1857]

Everything will go completely crazy when Alex discovers the meaning of pasta alla zozzona 🤯

[@xSavaagee]

So glad you're back Alex

[@Damage_Inc]

I have a name for the ad placement on Alex's videos: "the point of no return". You can't look away or close the tab just when the video is getting exciting or interesting.

[@Getpojke]

Haha, when you were flipping the pan at 14:19 the squelchy noise was making me think of Chef Max Mariola & his slightly risqué "Ah the sound of love" as he does the same.

[@acastusglade4092]

Just as a heads-up you can get Jowl or Jowl Bacon in the US pretty easy. It’s the same cut of meat that’s also cured. Different than Guanciale I’m sure, but similar.

[@CanalGabrielCoelho]

alla gricia is my absolute favorite Roman pasta! I've been doing it for about 3 years now, using local ingredients (very hard to get guanciale and pecorino here, panceta is the best I get, sometimes I just choose a fatty bacon, and only did with pecorino once), and it is always amazing!

[@brettmuir5679]

Alex, I have been watching your videos for years. This one is the one that I needed to comment on. "Where is the library?" Edit: the library is in the city while you my dear are in the country. Love it. Merci

[@gbasilveira]

The most beautiful episode I've even seen from you. What a day

[@theofficialkev2454]

We need to get this man a meeting with Marco Pierre white I honestly think Marco would tear up at the site of someone so dedicated to food

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

Alex, le cadre est tellement beau !

[@SpenceSesh]

When a Parisian goes to nature, haha I love it! You did good and it was a fun watch

[@user-ds5rn9jw6h]

The cuteness overload in this video is beyond words!

[@JPspinFPV]

Hello Alex! Looks like it may be time to do a deep dive into mastering outdoor cookery.

[@Pauli-COJ]

ah, merci pour la traduction à la fin, mdrrr x) super vidéo, l'ambiance est très apaisante, traditionnelle. o/

[@nicholastaylor8289]

I loved when you brought your cameraman into the shot. It made the whole situation that much more inviting. Even though you were cracking jokes I imagine thats how the shepherds would behave if there was annother person nearby. Just invite them in, enjoy the food and have a good time.