Alex, I'd just like to point out and express my gratitude for your efforts in documenting Mama Emma's cooking as well as others. There are a few tiers of documentation of these recipes, and with your style of videography, practical application, commentary, and technical analysis, these recipes, techniques, and methods will never be lost to man. Bien joué, Monsieur!
As an Italian I can say that, actually, the hole in the center of the bucatini pasta has the function to let the water cook also the inside of each bucatino, other that the exterior. These bucatini are much larger than the spaghetti so, even if the sauce can't go inside, water can and in this way this pasta can cook almost in the same time of the spaghetti.
Sono un romano di 47 anni, cucino da quasi quaranta, odio i bucatini ma non avevo mai e poi mai pensato alla ragione del buco! Mi hai aperto gli occhi e ora mi stanno più simpatici, grazie!!!
The close with you explaining that Emma and family are what make the dish perfect might be the best close you've ever done. Thank you, Alex. Thank you, Emma and family. (Thank you editors, camera operators and any/all members of production I'm unaware of!)
Remember to thank the pigs who gave up their lives just for some fat in the dish... don't forget them 🐖. And the cows that gave up their babies for the cheese 🐄
Alex man! The cinematography in this episode was divine! Lots of focused and slow-mo shots, also flashbacks to Amatrice, but the whole story felt realtime. An experience that pulls you in 👌
Important note: like many pizzaiolos teach, tomatoes need to be squeezed by hand and not in the mixer. That prevents the seeds from breaking and releasing a bitter taste in the sauce 🤓
Such an important step that he missed, and he even mentioned how the sauce was acidic/bitter when he first tasted it. Using a Blender is taboo for whole tomatoes.
Mantecare does not really mean to flip, it comes from Spanish manteca which means butter, and it's a technique from Risotto where you let the fats rest with the hot pasta/rice
@@lmixour I've watched countless videos in both Italian and English, and one thing I noticed, especially in American pasta videos, is although they stress the importance of adding pasta water toward the end of cooking, many of the videos don't really mantecare the pasta and never achieve an emulsified sauce.
no, ambe -- it is both. The fat and starch must mix very well, they will not by themselves, then rest gives it the shiny look of mantecatura cremosa. Emulsify is actually pretty close really, "cream" (as in creaming butter and sugar, whipping them together) is actually even closer in original intent even though it's done with starch instead. Also it does not "come from Spanish" like OP says, it is shared origin most likely Latin, and even so "manteca" in Spanish does not mean butter except in a few countries, in most places (incl. Spain) it means lard. Can even mean lard whipped with sugar in older usage (see above).
Your description of how the sauce is rendered is something that I've found ONLY Benedetto Cavalieri's Spaghettoni does. I live in central Italy and I've tried a number of different artisanal pasta makers but Benedetto Cavalieri's Spaghettoni are just a cut above the rest. It creates the perfect tomato sauce and, by extension, Amatriciana. I also happen to think it makes the best Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe. They're exceptional and undoubtedly the best choice for this dish.
Damn I'll have to try them. Until now as a broke student I always stuck to whatever's on sale between De Cecco, Molisana and Voiello but I've always been curious to try. I may try that with Aglio-Olio-Peperoncino first, though, since I just love that dish and it may show the differences even better
@@mattia_carciola sure, try it, learn what it is, but don't bankrupt yourself. Many people will never experience this pasta, or that ingredient, and their lives will be just as whole.
@@arcer63 I mean, being Italian for me it would mean spending like 3-4€ instead of 1.5€ for that package of pasta, it can be done once or twice out of curiosity
The amount of research and care this man puts in his search to achieve perfection when it comes to classic pasta dishes from the Italian cuisine shows his immense dedication to his cratf and admiration for the Italian culture, and that's something I find truly admirable. Sei forte Alex, la tua versione dell'amatriciana é impeccabile. Un saluto da Roma ❤
You just quickly went over the fact that the Spaghettoni you used is a Benedetto Cavalieri made in Puglia, and is widely regarded as one of the best pastas in Italy. 😄
they release too much starch. So I seriously question that "widely regarded". Tagliatelle from Benedetto Cavalieri are excellent, though, but the spaghetti... no thanks. Way, way too much starch!
Just to say thank you for the videos. I am always amazed how good they are. There is some peace that radiates from them that i cannot explain in words. Your passion is out of this world! Forever a fan...
Thanks to your vids, I noticed some guanciale at a store. I bought it and yesterday made actual carbonara. It was *amazing*. My family loved it so much. Today, after seeing this video, I'll use the rest of the guanciale for an amatriciana. Thanks. from Brussels, Belgium
Alex, I rarely comment but this time I have to. I have watched many of your series and they are all amazing (croissant, mother sauces, pasta etc.). I have particularly enjoyed your pasta series, with the Carbonara and this one with the Guancale (key ingredient). Thank you so much for not being a receipe channel but bringing to all of us this knowledge and understanding of these dishes we all take for granted and, also, get destroyed by so many cooks. I love Italy and Italian cuisine. I am always amazed on how real Italian cooking uses so few ingredients and the result is always spectacular. Thanks for sharing your passion with all of us.
Now, a lot of people (myself included) tend to tune more towards a French character as they grow older. But you, Alex, seem to be turning Italian. Also: This was a joy to watch. Keep up the great work!
Italy is not a single country from a culinary point of view... even grouping regions in clusters, it is like visiting 10-12 different countries, that s why he keeps on coming back
This embodies everything I love about authentic Italian food. The recipes are so simple on the surface, but they are so much about the quality of the ingredients. Sure, you could make a perfectly delicious version of this with pancetta, some basic spaghetti, and pretty much any tomatoes, but there is such a HUGE difference in flavor by moving to the ingredients you suggest. Thank you so much for your work.
Alex the most important part is the “mantecatura” the secret is that the temperature must not exceed 145F of fall below 130F when the cheese is added, otherwise it will separate or not integrate respectively.
I second this. Rigatoni or any tubular pasta works well with amatriciana or carbonara for that matter. Bucattini however... I now see why I didn't like the feeling of slurping this pasta, as Alex said in the video
Hey Alex, I follow you since you're beginning on Jamie Oliver food tube. And I gotta say, this is one of the best videos you've ever done.The music, the way it's put together.The way it's half storytelling half.original recipe.It's really a pleasure to watch, and it's a pleasure to watch the trip you've had!
We live in Teramo province, Abruzzo, and drive by Amatrice when taking the scenic Via Salaria route to Rome/Fiumicino. (Best porchetta is in Terme di Cotilia along the way.) Thanks for featuring Emma and the true recipe without garlic/onions, chilis, olive oil, etc. In central Apennine Lazio/Abruzzo tradition, the cuisine is stunningly simple and refined, dependent on very specific ingredients. When you taste pasta all'Amatriciana using guanciale and pecorino from that area, it's a very unique experience. You can recreate the recipe, but you can't recreate the true taste. Probably one reason why cooks elsewhere gussy up the ingredients.
@@WinstonSmithGPT HA! Well, the French used to be in this part of central Italy which is why the wine is so good in Abruzzo and they have things like scripelle in brodo and timballo teramano made with scripelle. And the use of crema pasticcera in desserts like pizza dolce :) You're right though....the flavor of the Amatriciana comes from the distinct profile of the guanciale.
You forgot something important @Alex: you're using guanciale already seasoned with chili. If it's not the case (most of the available guanciale is seasoned with black pepper), you would need to add some to make the dish a little spicy and amazing :)
I prefer the "classic" pepper guanciale, with an addition of fresh Calabrian chilis to keep the dish purely Italian, bonus points these chilis are absolutely delicious on their own and they have a beautiful, rich red color, fruity flavors and a nice moderate level of heat.
Hi Alex! From an italian random guy, thanks for the respectful and enthusiastic way you appriciate and spread our culture! I see you have now mastered all the 4 roman traditional first dishes. I would really like to know which one is your favourite
Every time I binge these videos, I have a burning sensation in my stomach. Alex always sparks the passion to cook these dishes for myself. Whether or not I ever get to making them, these dishes specifically are not to be measured or followed in a recipe but mastered off of feel, taste, and texture. I find cooking is the most fun when you throw out the recipe and experience creating a dish from scratch by just watching and picturing what it should come out to be. Thats what makes Alex’s content so important. Thanks for being the best culinary content creator!
Yes, I love this. Good choice of music too - I used this piece (at 13:25) in a video I produced recently. Useful insight about the pasta used, and I agree about bucatini not quite working. I'll have to try and pick up some spaghettoni.
Wow! It've been some years since I bought a piece of Guanciale and made this dish, and it's so delicious. I've made All' Amatriciana several times with pancetta or bacon, but the fat from guanciale is so delicious in this dish. Love this style of videos where you delve deep into the origins of the seemingly small and humble dishes and present them in a beautiful and respectful way :D
Spot on. And I totally agree that a good amatriciana is on par or even better than Carbonara. The only things I would adjust is grating the cheese into crumbs, not the string grater you use. And also, keep a few strips of Guanciale on the side to use them as dressing. The Guanciale that's been in the sauce loses some of its crispiness. Adding some Guanciale as dressing will give you that crispy outside, soft inside texture back.
Hi Alex. I truly love your work and found so much inspiration. I'm italian but I live in Australia now and, funnily enough, it's your videos that help me keep in touch and experimenting with my traditional home food. In this time I also understood the importance on another TOOL in my italian kitchen: the food mill!! A food processor will always be too aggressive on sauces/cremes and the food mill has been an iconic tool my entire life, from mashed potatoes (purée, as Im from Turin), to Vellutate di Piselli (peas velutee) o Sugoli (a grape juice dessert) to PASSATA (which takes its name because it's forced through the sieve of a food mill, called PASSAVERDURA, which separates the solids/peels instead of blitzing them) I suggest you look into it if you haven't use one much....the delicate action on the structure of food gives you smooth and creamy texture without the solid/liquid separation caused by the fast and sharp processor....try it for your mashed ratin potatoes or for a passata and you'll fall in love with it
This is one simple dish I've learned to make and it leaves friends and family floored. That said I have made 1 and only 1 change to it: I don't use bucatini. I found that it doesn't twirl on the fork like a spaghetti or spaghettini does, nor does it "fork" well, making it difficult to puck up. I switched to fusilli bucati, where you still get the surface area and starch, as well as the retained water from the hollowness of the pasts, but you can still pick it up, and the sauce adheres to and holds the sauce well. Being on the west coast of Canada means that I *do* have to make some changes to pull it off.
I've made all'amatricana with both pancetta and guanciale. There is definitely a difference. I also respectfully submit that if you have to drive four hours round trip to get guanciale, the pancetta from down the road will absolutely suffice. You can be flexible in your ingredients due to money or geographic concerns without betraying the spirit of the dish.
I order my guanciale for carbonara from gustini. Great supplier of authentic italian groceries and specialities. I order from Germany, dunno about other countries but I imagine the rest of EU should be without problem also.
@@raleedy Absolutely, we need to be realistic, carbonara, amatriciana, gricia, are GREAT last minute mid-week meals, and bacon, pancetta or guanciale all work wonderfully, and it's better to use what's more local and realistic for you, and if you can manage to get a hold of some good guanciale you can then celebrate the dish properly, but for an everyday meal 90% of us italians also go for pancetta, and reserve the guanciale when we want to treat ourself, or impress someone
For those who maybe interested in America you can look for Jowl or Jowl Bacon (same thing just another name). It’s smoked pork cheek similar to bacon. It won’t be peppery like guanciale but you can always add pepper to the dish.
Alex, I follow you from San Francisco and Love your videos. They are getting better and better. I’ve own my restaurant for 12 years and I love how you approach and treat food. Happy Holidays!!!!!
There’s an incredible Italian deli just a short walk from my flat. Very excited to try this just like I tried the (life changing) carbonara. Thank you, Alex!!! Informative, fun, and entertaining as always!
Hello from Australia. I've been making Pasta Amatriciana for many, many years and I LOVE it! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful video, which makes me love Pasta Amatriciana even more.
There is no real translation for mantecare in English. And yet, it is a fundamental term in any Italian kitchen. Its roots come from the Spanish word for butter or lard, and it indicates a technique that works the dish into a deliciously creamy texture. For example, mantecare is essential for making risotto: you add fresh butter or cream and grated cheese to the risotto when it is almost finished, stirring vigorously so that it develops that desired creaminess. It is also used in making ice cream.
Thank you for the beautiful video. I’ve made this dish many times and it’s one of my favorites. However taking us to the home of this great dish was extremely helpful in making me improve it
Thank you for this video. I did not even consider that you might not even need olive oil. Also that you seperated the guanciale from the rendered fat is something i did not think of. Thank you for sharing. Great video.
I almost commented about the wine at the start of the video :D This is my favourite pasta, and it makes such a massive and welcome difference. Good job! I loved the ending! Best enjoyed with family!
Amazing video Alex, as usual! It truly made me emotional. I miss Italy so much... all the beautiful places I visited, this is truly the most beautiful country on earth. Anyway I can't wait to get my hands on guanciale... it's so difficult where I live (Canada) that it's easier to get Monograno Felicetti Spaghettoni! Take care, Salut!!
Thank you Alex for the many acknoledge you give to Italian kitchen. French an Italian cooks contribute together to change the world, at least twice a day!
Alex, I love your videos (especially the pasta series I watch with my little son)! I’ve been watching you for a long time, and many times, even as a vegetarian, I enjoy every video you make. I’d love to see some more vegetarian pasta dishes from you
Sweet action. Gonna make this pasta next time. Thanks for this video. Very appreciated you're helping spread beautiful food to more audiences via your videos 🙏
lol, Alex... You are going to break my bank account with these videos! ;D I'm already buying the most expensive pasta, and now I want to import guanciale and ruin American bacon for myself. lol In all seriousness, I love your videos. The passion that goes into every video is infectious! Although I don't always have access to the same ingredients, watching your videos has definitely leveled up my home cooking!
Just came back from Rome! this was my favorite dish there. I went on a carbonara kick last year but was always upset that I couldn't find guanciale. Funny enough my Walmart sells cured smoked pork jowl for $5/lb, which as far I know is basically the same thing. Made amatriciana a few days ago and it brought me back to Rome! Awesome to see you made a vid the day I left there.
The best part of Alexes channel is that youre watching a master chef in the making, its an adventure of an average man who likes to cook, to one of the greatest chefs in all of europe, i cannot imagine the culinary wisdom this man will have when he is in his 70s
As an Italian, amatriciana beats carbonara any day! I still have to nail the guanciale perfect cooking! In a famous restaurant in Rome (Roscioli) they told me they would bake the guanciale cubes 2 hours in the oven at low heat before cooking in the pan for perfect crispiness inside! It was divine indeed!
One thing Alex did not mention here is that you always start your Guanciale on low heat. Only once you rendered out some of the fat, you up the heat. Doing it the other way around will completely ruin the texture you want. When using a good stainless steel pan you might be used to put a lot of heat into the pan before adding your meat. Great for a steak, but for Guanciale that's not the way to go.
I got a huge relief at 8:40'. I have been adding that splash of white wine (and reducing it fully) since I learned to cook all'Amatriciana from someone from Amatrice years ago. I am happy I was/am on the right side! :-) The way I learned it, a few pieces of pepperoncino are added -- aim is not to make the entire sauce hot, but to add bits of heat here and there. But certainly this is not the relevant thing here. Beautiful video, I like your religious approach to a recipe that belongs to the Olympus of food, and to the mamma, the goddess of Amatrice. Merci beaucoup.
I made it tonight this way, and it turned out superb. I think the other recipes out there are missing some key info - especially with blending in a very generous amount of pecorino romano. Most of them say "top with parmesan to taste" - and that's where they fail. Simple, recipe, but high quality ingredients are key, combined with proper technique. Thanks a ton - once again my Italian skills were elevated yet again by watching your videos.
Thank you for showing the simple and authentic way to make one of my favorite things. I, too, am sick of chefs and food personalities showing "their take" on dishes.
Very cool video, as always. Your content is always unique and catchy. To add I really appreciate you analysis on dishes very much. But. I would've preferred some more detail about the origin of the ingredients of the "original" amatriciana dish. Such as "which tomatoes were used", or "what kind of pecorino Emma and her family use" as all of this influences the final dish a lot. Especially the tomatoes I would argue, as the San Marzank which you used for your private cooking have an own special taste, which could fit better or less with the dish, but in the end simply makes it different. Anyways, keep up with your content, have been loving it
Amatriciana is my daughters favorite dish. I have been cooking it at least once per week for maybe 10 years now and I am confident to say I start to mastering it with whatever ingredients we have at home that day. We don't stay true to the og everytime but freely mixing pancetta or any other local cured pork. We can also use parmegiano or other cheeses and often also garlic and peperoncino.
Thank goodness you mentioned that you make it with Parmigiano as well. Reggianno (or Padano, or "grana" is all I ever have in my fridge. (Not a peccorino Romano fan.)
Mon frère et moi avons décidés de faire nous-même notre Guanciale. Alors dans 3 mois d'ici c-à-d à la mi-mai 2024, nous goûterons notre Guanciale maison. Merci Alex pour ce tour d'horizon culinaire! 🙂
Wow mi hai fatto emozionare, hai preparato questa Amatriciana in maniera eccellente ed eccellente è anche la qualità del video. Bravo, complimenti. Devo cucinarne una il prima possibile !!!!! 😋😋
I ordered a guanciale from them after the last video, it arrived yesterday so the first thing I did was make a carbonara using Luciano's recipe and I have to say it was beautiful. I've still got well over 1 kg of guanciale left but I don't think it'll last long. I' be making amatriciana next and ordering more guanciale soon.
Ciao Alex, I love to see how much effort you put when prepare any dish, and grateful you always do the research for give the most authentic flavour! A small advice coming from years working in restaurants: the skin of the guanciale (or “cotica”-“cotenna” as we call in Italy) don’t waste it and throw it away. Try to keep it in a big slice and let the fat on it render with the guanciale, for give more flavour to the base (similar concept of using the parmigiano skin in sauces for release the flavour). Reducing wastage and increasing flavour! Thanks and ciao!
I still look forward to each and every new video you present to us on UA-cam. Love your style of teaching us to cook well and love your love of foods you cook for us.
This is the best Amatriciana recipe on UA-cam! I've tried your recipe with guanciale and with pancetta. Just a small remark I've just seen alessio pasini short video that Italians great cheese in small flakes not in long flakes, I believe this is the only difference between your recipe and the lady from Amatrice
The first video i saw on here where they make proper Amatriciana!... It is one of the greatest dishes when done right. So simple, yet so perfectly balanced and nuanced. And i have to say, i love it with bucatini, it is a different sensation to thicker spaghetti and just adds to the whole experience. By the way, just as the type of cheese and pork is important, the type of wine is too!
Nice one Alex, always amazing quality content. If anyone is interested, Emma was using a different kind of spaghetti that you can find under the name of spaghetto quadrato, or alla chitarra. Salut
love your obsession with traditional details. someday you need to open a restaurant with all these traditional dishes you have learned over the years done with the precision of the tradition.
Alex, you are the harsh critic, pleasant reviewer, and artistic maker of food. You aim to see the greatest beauty in the smallest things. And I appreciate you for that.
currently in rome for work, and my colleagues here told me to try this dish and i have to say, i love it. This to me now, is a serious rival to my favorite, which is Carbonara. i just love both too much haha.
Hey Alex, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I cooked it with the original guanciale amitriciano like it is described in this video. I was surprised how delicious a pasta recipe can be with only 6 ingredients: guanciale, white wine, tomatos, spaghettis, pecoriono and the black pepper at the guanciale. If I look for similar recipes in Italy I found a lot with a kind of sofrito and olio di oliva 😄 Personally I add a bit of chili powder.
hey alex, i really want to try this recipe and also the carbonara but the thing is i cant find guanciale here and if i do find one it's super pricey. well i hope i could buy it soon. i've learnt a lot watching your videos from the ramen series, the mother sauces, etc. and it helped me realize that there is so much more than just cooking and that it's an art and a way of life so i thank you alex. salud!
Alex, I'd just like to point out and express my gratitude for your efforts in documenting Mama Emma's cooking as well as others. There are a few tiers of documentation of these recipes, and with your style of videography, practical application, commentary, and technical analysis, these recipes, techniques, and methods will never be lost to man. Bien joué, Monsieur!
As an Italian I can say that, actually, the hole in the center of the bucatini pasta has the function to let the water cook also the inside of each bucatino, other that the exterior. These bucatini are much larger than the spaghetti so, even if the sauce can't go inside, water can and in this way this pasta can cook almost in the same time of the spaghetti.
Sono un romano di 47 anni, cucino da quasi quaranta, odio i bucatini ma non avevo mai e poi mai pensato alla ragione del buco! Mi hai aperto gli occhi e ora mi stanno più simpatici, grazie!!!
@@amicojeko true
eppure i pici non hanno problemi a cuocere
I pici, così come i bigoli sono pasta fresca. Diversa.
As an Italian I can say that pasta gets cooked even without holes 😂
The close with you explaining that Emma and family are what make the dish perfect might be the best close you've ever done. Thank you, Alex. Thank you, Emma and family. (Thank you editors, camera operators and any/all members of production I'm unaware of!)
Remember to thank the pigs who gave up their lives just for some fat in the dish... don't forget them 🐖. And the cows that gave up their babies for the cheese 🐄
@@spinachtriangle The cows didn't give up their babies for the cheese, the babies were weaned and the cows then had more milk to share.
@@christopherkarr1872 I would encourage you to look into how 99% of dairy milk is produced. Happy researching.
Alex man! The cinematography in this episode was divine! Lots of focused and slow-mo shots, also flashbacks to Amatrice, but the whole story felt realtime. An experience that pulls you in 👌
Important note: like many pizzaiolos teach, tomatoes need to be squeezed by hand and not in the mixer. That prevents the seeds from breaking and releasing a bitter taste in the sauce 🤓
Such an important step that he missed, and he even mentioned how the sauce was acidic/bitter when he first tasted it. Using a Blender is taboo for whole tomatoes.
And the color turns orange-y!
Indeed, crush it dont blend it is the rule to remember
That's why his sauce is orange ....
or food mill which is actually what her sauce looked like it was passed through.
Mantecare does not really mean to flip, it comes from Spanish manteca which means butter, and it's a technique from Risotto where you let the fats rest with the hot pasta/rice
It's not easy to translate, but yeah, basically the process of making the dish creamy thanks to the starch, the fats, the heat and the motion
Emulsify is close enough
@@lmixour that's where you are wrong, "mantecatura" is obtained through REST of cold fats on hot starch, not from mixing
@@lmixour I've watched countless videos in both Italian and English, and one thing I noticed, especially in American pasta videos, is although they stress the importance of adding pasta water toward the end of cooking, many of the videos don't really mantecare the pasta and never achieve an emulsified sauce.
no, ambe -- it is both. The fat and starch must mix very well, they will not by themselves, then rest gives it the shiny look of mantecatura cremosa. Emulsify is actually pretty close really, "cream" (as in creaming butter and sugar, whipping them together) is actually even closer in original intent even though it's done with starch instead.
Also it does not "come from Spanish" like OP says, it is shared origin most likely Latin, and even so "manteca" in Spanish does not mean butter except in a few countries, in most places (incl. Spain) it means lard. Can even mean lard whipped with sugar in older usage (see above).
Your description of how the sauce is rendered is something that I've found ONLY Benedetto Cavalieri's Spaghettoni does. I live in central Italy and I've tried a number of different artisanal pasta makers but Benedetto Cavalieri's Spaghettoni are just a cut above the rest. It creates the perfect tomato sauce and, by extension, Amatriciana. I also happen to think it makes the best Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe.
They're exceptional and undoubtedly the best choice for this dish.
Damn I'll have to try them. Until now as a broke student I always stuck to whatever's on sale between De Cecco, Molisana and Voiello but I've always been curious to try. I may try that with Aglio-Olio-Peperoncino first, though, since I just love that dish and it may show the differences even better
@@mattia_carciola sure, try it, learn what it is, but don't bankrupt yourself. Many people will never experience this pasta, or that ingredient, and their lives will be just as whole.
@@arcer63 I mean, being Italian for me it would mean spending like 3-4€ instead of 1.5€ for that package of pasta, it can be done once or twice out of curiosity
Of course, Benedetto Cavalieri Pasta is a cut above the rest, but La Molisana makes for pretttttttty good Amatriciana too.
@@FrenchGuyCooking
Thanks, I'll try it.👍🍝
The amount of research and care this man puts in his search to achieve perfection when it comes to classic pasta dishes from the Italian cuisine shows his immense dedication to his cratf and admiration for the Italian culture, and that's something I find truly admirable.
Sei forte Alex, la tua versione dell'amatriciana é impeccabile.
Un saluto da Roma ❤
If only he put the same amount of research in the sponsors he chooses to accept...
You just quickly went over the fact that the Spaghettoni you used is a Benedetto Cavalieri made in Puglia, and is widely regarded as one of the best pastas in Italy. 😄
I just looked up on amazon to see if I could get it on there and for one pack was like $100 for 4 packs hahah
A pack is around €4. Not that expensive
they release too much starch. So I seriously question that "widely regarded". Tagliatelle from Benedetto Cavalieri are excellent, though, but the spaghetti... no thanks. Way, way too much starch!
@@WuWeiJack You want a lot of starch in your pasta water to thicken the sauce
He has done othere videos on it, check them out. Probably why he didn't say anything, he has done entire vids of pasta brands and so forth.
Just to say thank you for the videos. I am always amazed how good they are. There is some peace that radiates from them that i cannot explain in words. Your passion is out of this world! Forever a fan...
Thanks to your vids, I noticed some guanciale at a store. I bought it and yesterday made actual carbonara. It was *amazing*. My family loved it so much. Today, after seeing this video, I'll use the rest of the guanciale for an amatriciana. Thanks.
from Brussels, Belgium
The story telling, the filming, the editing, the music 🤩 You're a master, Alex!
Alex, I rarely comment but this time I have to. I have watched many of your series and they are all amazing (croissant, mother sauces, pasta etc.). I have particularly enjoyed your pasta series, with the Carbonara and this one with the Guancale (key ingredient). Thank you so much for not being a receipe channel but bringing to all of us this knowledge and understanding of these dishes we all take for granted and, also, get destroyed by so many cooks. I love Italy and Italian cuisine. I am always amazed on how real Italian cooking uses so few ingredients and the result is always spectacular. Thanks for sharing your passion with all of us.
Now, a lot of people (myself included) tend to tune more towards a French character as they grow older. But you, Alex, seem to be turning Italian.
Also: This was a joy to watch. Keep up the great work!
Italy is not a single country from a culinary point of view... even grouping regions in clusters, it is like visiting 10-12 different countries, that s why he keeps on coming back
This embodies everything I love about authentic Italian food. The recipes are so simple on the surface, but they are so much about the quality of the ingredients. Sure, you could make a perfectly delicious version of this with pancetta, some basic spaghetti, and pretty much any tomatoes, but there is such a HUGE difference in flavor by moving to the ingredients you suggest. Thank you so much for your work.
Alex the most important part is the “mantecatura” the secret is that the temperature must not exceed 145F of fall below 130F when the cheese is added, otherwise it will separate or not integrate respectively.
Rigatoni is also a very good type of pasta for Amatriciana, the way un which the sauce and guanciale get stuck inside is just 👌
I second this.
Rigatoni or any tubular pasta works well with amatriciana or carbonara for that matter.
Bucattini however... I now see why I didn't like the feeling of slurping this pasta, as Alex said in the video
Hey Alex, I follow you since you're beginning on Jamie Oliver food tube. And I gotta say, this is one of the best videos you've ever done.The music, the way it's put together.The way it's half storytelling half.original recipe.It's really a pleasure to watch, and it's a pleasure to watch the trip you've had!
We live in Teramo province, Abruzzo, and drive by Amatrice when taking the scenic Via Salaria route to Rome/Fiumicino. (Best porchetta is in Terme di Cotilia along the way.) Thanks for featuring Emma and the true recipe without garlic/onions, chilis, olive oil, etc. In central Apennine Lazio/Abruzzo tradition, the cuisine is stunningly simple and refined, dependent on very specific ingredients. When you taste pasta all'Amatriciana using guanciale and pecorino from that area, it's a very unique experience. You can recreate the recipe, but you can't recreate the true taste. Probably one reason why cooks elsewhere gussy up the ingredients.
Maybe you can teach Alex how to make scripelle 😊
I personally find amatriciano very boring without guanciale.
@@WinstonSmithGPT HA! Well, the French used to be in this part of central Italy which is why the wine is so good in Abruzzo and they have things like scripelle in brodo and timballo teramano made with scripelle. And the use of crema pasticcera in desserts like pizza dolce :) You're right though....the flavor of the Amatriciana comes from the distinct profile of the guanciale.
You forgot something important @Alex: you're using guanciale already seasoned with chili. If it's not the case (most of the available guanciale is seasoned with black pepper), you would need to add some to make the dish a little spicy and amazing :)
I add always some black pepper to this dish as if you get rid of the skin, there went the peppers too.
I prefer the "classic" pepper guanciale, with an addition of fresh Calabrian chilis to keep the dish purely Italian, bonus points these chilis are absolutely delicious on their own and they have a beautiful, rich red color, fruity flavors and a nice moderate level of heat.
I did (not) forget this.
You owe me some guanciale (I'm parisian)
@@poubcool
leave the gun
take the cannoli
Emma is such a true mamma! Strict but so helpful and nurturing! She was the Highlight of the video! Btw spaguetonni is best pasta! Love it🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
Hi Alex! From an italian random guy, thanks for the respectful and enthusiastic way you appriciate and spread our culture! I see you have now mastered all the 4 roman traditional first dishes. I would really like to know which one is your favourite
The amount of effort you put into these videos is astounding. I hope you have as much fun making them as we do watching. Cheers, Alex!
Every time I binge these videos, I have a burning sensation in my stomach. Alex always sparks the passion to cook these dishes for myself. Whether or not I ever get to making them, these dishes specifically are not to be measured or followed in a recipe but mastered off of feel, taste, and texture. I find cooking is the most fun when you throw out the recipe and experience creating a dish from scratch by just watching and picturing what it should come out to be. Thats what makes Alex’s content so important. Thanks for being the best culinary content creator!
Yes, I love this. Good choice of music too - I used this piece (at 13:25) in a video I produced recently. Useful insight about the pasta used, and I agree about bucatini not quite working. I'll have to try and pick up some spaghettoni.
Wow! It've been some years since I bought a piece of Guanciale and made this dish, and it's so delicious. I've made All' Amatriciana several times with pancetta or bacon, but the fat from guanciale is so delicious in this dish.
Love this style of videos where you delve deep into the origins of the seemingly small and humble dishes and present them in a beautiful and respectful way :D
I buy that specific pasta for my amatriciana and is extraordinarily good. The amount of starch it releases is out of this world
Spot on. And I totally agree that a good amatriciana is on par or even better than Carbonara. The only things I would adjust is grating the cheese into crumbs, not the string grater you use. And also, keep a few strips of Guanciale on the side to use them as dressing. The Guanciale that's been in the sauce loses some of its crispiness. Adding some Guanciale as dressing will give you that crispy outside, soft inside texture back.
Hi Alex. I truly love your work and found so much inspiration. I'm italian but I live in Australia now and, funnily enough, it's your videos that help me keep in touch and experimenting with my traditional home food.
In this time I also understood the importance on another TOOL in my italian kitchen: the food mill!!
A food processor will always be too aggressive on sauces/cremes and the food mill has been an iconic tool my entire life, from mashed potatoes (purée, as Im from Turin), to Vellutate di Piselli (peas velutee) o Sugoli (a grape juice dessert) to PASSATA (which takes its name because it's forced through the sieve of a food mill, called PASSAVERDURA, which separates the solids/peels instead of blitzing them)
I suggest you look into it if you haven't use one much....the delicate action on the structure of food gives you smooth and creamy texture without the solid/liquid separation caused by the fast and sharp processor....try it for your mashed ratin potatoes or for a passata and you'll fall in love with it
This is one simple dish I've learned to make and it leaves friends and family floored.
That said I have made 1 and only 1 change to it: I don't use bucatini. I found that it doesn't twirl on the fork like a spaghetti or spaghettini does, nor does it "fork" well, making it difficult to puck up. I switched to fusilli bucati, where you still get the surface area and starch, as well as the retained water from the hollowness of the pasts, but you can still pick it up, and the sauce adheres to and holds the sauce well.
Being on the west coast of Canada means that I *do* have to make some changes to pull it off.
That's exactly the reason why I don't like bucatini as well.
I've made all'amatricana with both pancetta and guanciale. There is definitely a difference. I also respectfully submit that if you have to drive four hours round trip to get guanciale, the pancetta from down the road will absolutely suffice. You can be flexible in your ingredients due to money or geographic concerns without betraying the spirit of the dish.
Bacon.
The point is that in a dish with 3 ingredients changing one is no longer the same dish.
I order my guanciale for carbonara from gustini. Great supplier of authentic italian groceries and specialities. I order from Germany, dunno about other countries but I imagine the rest of EU should be without problem also.
@@raleedy Absolutely, we need to be realistic, carbonara, amatriciana, gricia, are GREAT last minute mid-week meals, and bacon, pancetta or guanciale all work wonderfully, and it's better to use what's more local and realistic for you, and if you can manage to get a hold of some good guanciale you can then celebrate the dish properly, but for an everyday meal 90% of us italians also go for pancetta, and reserve the guanciale when we want to treat ourself, or impress someone
Yeah, but as for you if you're in YYZ like your online name suggests, you should be using guanciale.
For those who maybe interested in America you can look for Jowl or Jowl Bacon (same thing just another name). It’s smoked pork cheek similar to bacon. It won’t be peppery like guanciale but you can always add pepper to the dish.
Alex,
I follow you from San Francisco and Love your videos. They are getting better and better.
I’ve own my restaurant for 12 years and I love how you approach and treat food.
Happy Holidays!!!!!
Thank you for showing YT the authentic Italian cuisine. 🙏
May the guanciale be with you🤙
Absolute best cooking video I have ever seen. Guanciale is so distinctively wonderful. Thank you for the lesson
There’s an incredible Italian deli just a short walk from my flat. Very excited to try this just like I tried the (life changing) carbonara. Thank you, Alex!!! Informative, fun, and entertaining as always!
Hello from Australia. I've been making Pasta Amatriciana for many, many years and I LOVE it! Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful video, which makes me love Pasta Amatriciana even more.
Bucatini all’Amatriciana is my all time favorite pasta dish. Very excited to see you explore it!
There is no real translation for mantecare in English. And yet, it is a fundamental term in any Italian kitchen. Its roots come from the Spanish word for butter or lard, and it indicates a technique that works the dish into a deliciously creamy texture. For example, mantecare is essential for making risotto: you add fresh butter or cream and grated cheese to the risotto when it is almost finished, stirring vigorously so that it develops that desired creaminess. It is also used in making ice cream.
The macro and slow-mo photography has gotten amazing in your videos. Fantastic, mouth-watering shots.
the only french person loved by italy!🤣 great video Alex, thanks for your work and curiosity in our food
That's a very silly thing to say
The plating at the end reminded me of the Oppenheimer movie! 😂 Incredible work as always, so happy you researched my favorite pasta dish
I did this dish today with your/her recipe and I can honestly say it’s the best pasta I’ve ever had.
Thank you for the beautiful video. I’ve made this dish many times and it’s one of my favorites. However taking us to the home of this great dish was extremely helpful in making me improve it
Thank you for this video. I did not even consider that you might not even need olive oil. Also that you seperated the guanciale from the rendered fat is something i did not think of. Thank you for sharing. Great video.
I almost commented about the wine at the start of the video :D This is my favourite pasta, and it makes such a massive and welcome difference. Good job! I loved the ending! Best enjoyed with family!
Amazing video Alex, as usual! It truly made me emotional. I miss Italy so much... all the beautiful places I visited, this is truly the most beautiful country on earth. Anyway I can't wait to get my hands on guanciale... it's so difficult where I live (Canada) that it's easier to get Monograno Felicetti Spaghettoni! Take care, Salut!!
Try the authentic Italian deli/mercato in your area, but if in Toronto, should not be that difficult.
Italy keeps on giving! Always go there alex! ❤❤❤❤🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
Thank you Alex for the many acknoledge you give to Italian kitchen. French an Italian cooks contribute together to change the world, at least twice a day!
I’ve made amatriciana with some nice aged pancetta tesa and it was delicious, really mouthwatering. But proper guanciale takes it to another level 🤤
Canadian here ..yes this sauce is my favorite of all pasta sauces ...so much flavor and simple
Alex, I love your videos (especially the pasta series I watch with my little son)! I’ve been watching you for a long time, and many times, even as a vegetarian, I enjoy every video you make. I’d love to see some more vegetarian pasta dishes from you
Sweet action. Gonna make this pasta next time. Thanks for this video. Very appreciated you're helping spread beautiful food to more audiences via your videos 🙏
Killing it Alex with these love letters to traditional dishes. Thank u.
lol, Alex... You are going to break my bank account with these videos! ;D I'm already buying the most expensive pasta, and now I want to import guanciale and ruin American bacon for myself. lol
In all seriousness, I love your videos. The passion that goes into every video is infectious! Although I don't always have access to the same ingredients, watching your videos has definitely leveled up my home cooking!
Just came back from Rome! this was my favorite dish there. I went on a carbonara kick last year but was always upset that I couldn't find guanciale. Funny enough my Walmart sells cured smoked pork jowl for $5/lb, which as far I know is basically the same thing. Made amatriciana a few days ago and it brought me back to Rome! Awesome to see you made a vid the day I left there.
Eventually... Someone giving justice to the Amatriciana. Thanks really... Great storytelling and food culture behind these videos.
The best part of Alexes channel is that youre watching a master chef in the making, its an adventure of an average man who likes to cook, to one of the greatest chefs in all of europe, i cannot imagine the culinary wisdom this man will have when he is in his 70s
As an Italian, amatriciana beats carbonara any day! I still have to nail the guanciale perfect cooking! In a famous restaurant in Rome (Roscioli) they told me they would bake the guanciale cubes 2 hours in the oven at low heat before cooking in the pan for perfect crispiness inside! It was divine indeed!
Nice Roman "hack".
Certain restaurants in Rome (used to) bake their arborio for risotto too, then finish in the pan.
One thing Alex did not mention here is that you always start your Guanciale on low heat. Only once you rendered out some of the fat, you up the heat. Doing it the other way around will completely ruin the texture you want. When using a good stainless steel pan you might be used to put a lot of heat into the pan before adding your meat. Great for a steak, but for Guanciale that's not the way to go.
I got a huge relief at 8:40'. I have been adding that splash of white wine (and reducing it fully) since I learned to cook all'Amatriciana from someone from Amatrice years ago. I am happy I was/am on the right side! :-)
The way I learned it, a few pieces of pepperoncino are added -- aim is not to make the entire sauce hot, but to add bits of heat here and there. But certainly this is not the relevant thing here.
Beautiful video, I like your religious approach to a recipe that belongs to the Olympus of food, and to the mamma, the goddess of Amatrice.
Merci beaucoup.
I made it tonight this way, and it turned out superb. I think the other recipes out there are missing some key info - especially with blending in a very generous amount of pecorino romano. Most of them say "top with parmesan to taste" - and that's where they fail. Simple, recipe, but high quality ingredients are key, combined with proper technique.
Thanks a ton - once again my Italian skills were elevated yet again by watching your videos.
Alex, your videography and story telling inspires me to take on multiple new challenges in the kitchen... Youre a masterful creator. Thank you!
Thank you for showing the simple and authentic way to make one of my favorite things. I, too, am sick of chefs and food personalities showing "their take" on dishes.
Very cool video, as always. Your content is always unique and catchy. To add I really appreciate you analysis on dishes very much.
But. I would've preferred some more detail about the origin of the ingredients of the "original" amatriciana dish. Such as "which tomatoes were used", or "what kind of pecorino Emma and her family use" as all of this influences the final dish a lot. Especially the tomatoes I would argue, as the San Marzank which you used for your private cooking have an own special taste, which could fit better or less with the dish, but in the end simply makes it different.
Anyways, keep up with your content, have been loving it
Amatriciana is my daughters favorite dish. I have been cooking it at least once per week for maybe 10 years now and I am confident to say I start to mastering it with whatever ingredients we have at home that day. We don't stay true to the og everytime but freely mixing pancetta or any other local cured pork. We can also use parmegiano or other cheeses and often also garlic and peperoncino.
Thank goodness you mentioned that you make it with Parmigiano as well. Reggianno (or Padano, or "grana" is all I ever have in my fridge. (Not a peccorino Romano fan.)
Mon frère et moi avons décidés de faire nous-même notre Guanciale. Alors dans 3 mois d'ici c-à-d à la mi-mai 2024, nous goûterons notre Guanciale maison.
Merci Alex pour ce tour d'horizon culinaire! 🙂
Wow mi hai fatto emozionare, hai preparato questa Amatriciana in maniera eccellente ed eccellente è anche la qualità del video. Bravo, complimenti. Devo cucinarne una il prima possibile !!!!! 😋😋
I ordered a guanciale from them after the last video, it arrived yesterday so the first thing I did was make a carbonara using Luciano's recipe and I have to say it was beautiful. I've still got well over 1 kg of guanciale left but I don't think it'll last long. I' be making amatriciana next and ordering more guanciale soon.
Ciao Alex,
I love to see how much effort you put when prepare any dish, and grateful you always do the research for give the most authentic flavour!
A small advice coming from years working in restaurants: the skin of the guanciale (or “cotica”-“cotenna” as we call in Italy) don’t waste it and throw it away. Try to keep it in a big slice and let the fat on it render with the guanciale, for give more flavour to the base (similar concept of using the parmigiano skin in sauces for release the flavour). Reducing wastage and increasing flavour!
Thanks and ciao!
Oh, that last bit is so true: part of the magic of cooking is the company and the sharing!
Great video Alex....I love that dish....I can almost taste your dish because the colour looks so spot on....
I still look forward to each and every new video you present to us on UA-cam. Love your style of teaching us to cook well and love your love of foods you cook for us.
This is the best Amatriciana recipe on UA-cam! I've tried your recipe with guanciale and with pancetta. Just a small remark I've just seen alessio pasini short video that Italians great cheese in small flakes not in long flakes, I believe this is the only difference between your recipe and the lady from Amatrice
The first video i saw on here where they make proper Amatriciana!... It is one of the greatest dishes when done right. So simple, yet so perfectly balanced and nuanced.
And i have to say, i love it with bucatini, it is a different sensation to thicker spaghetti and just adds to the whole experience. By the way, just as the type of cheese and pork is important, the type of wine is too!
It never ceases to amaze me the awe in peoples's faces when they discover how such famous dishes like this are really made. Great video!
Esthétiquement, certainement une des plus "belle" vidéo du site. Magnifiques photos et montage impeccable. Bravo.
I loved the fact you missed the Berardis while eating your fantastic amatriciana.
A good company makes everything better and warm the heart.
Nice one Alex, always amazing quality content. If anyone is interested, Emma was using a different kind of spaghetti that you can find under the name of spaghetto quadrato, or alla chitarra. Salut
love your obsession with traditional details. someday you need to open a restaurant with all these traditional dishes you have learned over the years done with the precision of the tradition.
Love this channel fall these years 🥰 Thank you.
Alex, you are the harsh critic, pleasant reviewer, and artistic maker of food. You aim to see the greatest beauty in the smallest things. And I appreciate you for that.
currently in rome for work, and my colleagues here told me to try this dish and i have to say, i love it. This to me now, is a serious rival to my favorite, which is Carbonara. i just love both too much haha.
Perfect timing! Just making pasta
Gorgeous shot of the food as always! And nice sound editing
Thank you for making a poem out of something we do almost every day. Greetings form Italy!
Absolutely stellar video! Have to see if I can get some Guancale here in The Hague, there is an Italian delicacy store here.
moved to italy a few months ago, and been cooking amatriciana a lot recently, perfect timing to hone the ability!
Alex! We never cut the tomatoes in a blender, never ever! Like this you cut the seeds as well and the tomatoes sauce became orange, big mistake!
Hey Alex, thanks for this wonderful recipe. I cooked it with the original guanciale amitriciano like it is described in this video. I was surprised how delicious a pasta recipe can be with only 6 ingredients: guanciale, white wine, tomatos, spaghettis, pecoriono and the black pepper at the guanciale. If I look for similar recipes in Italy I found a lot with a kind of sofrito and olio di oliva 😄 Personally I add a bit of chili powder.
When cooking bucatino in the sauce, it helps flavor inside and out. The perfect sponge.
Excellent tip for the skin removal on the driest bit. I like you again. I'm still requesting that you finish your dry pasta series.
Як дивитися інших після Алекса...
I love you mate, you are the best 🤗
i love the flavorable OILY sauce that coats the pasta ..PERFECTION
hey alex, i really want to try this recipe and also the carbonara but the thing is i cant find guanciale here and if i do find one it's super pricey. well i hope i could buy it soon. i've learnt a lot watching your videos from the ramen series, the mother sauces, etc. and it helped me realize that there is so much more than just cooking and that it's an art and a way of life so i thank you alex. salud!
My favorite pasta of all time. In my country is imposible to find pepperoncino, but we have merken, and it fits so perfect in this recipe!
I must say it….you’re a fine cook my friend. I love your attention to details!
in the name of Italian Mama we believe!
that's why i prefer waiting some Italian or you showing how to make it because you pursued real deal!
THANKS!
Great video alex. I like the new studio. I bet it would look really cool with some good lighting in the future
I was just in Italy for my honeymoon, such amazing past, almost impossible to replicate for a Canadian like me.
That drama at the end must have feelt epic when it was done and done. Great work Alex.
A hymn to Amatrice !!!! Thank you from Greece …