Mario Batali's eyes light up when he talks about simple, delicious food.

And in his mind, there's often no better way to achieve great flavor than on a grill.

"I think grilling is an excellent and healthy way to cook no matter who does it," said Batali, during a mid-May interview at The National Restaurant Association Show at Chicago's McCormick Place.

"It's an easy way to get big, beautiful flavor without too much technique," he said.

The celebrity chef recently debuted his latest cookbook "Italian Grill," featuring 80 recipes and information on grilling basics, ingredients and more.

While in the Windy City, Batali talked about the thrill of the grill, his love of food and what keeps him excited about the culinary industry.

"Italians grill everywhere they are. Generally, grilling is where you're cooking where the product is being made. So, in the winery or in the cheesemaking facility or in the candy place, when they want to have a quick little meal, they grill something up outside," he said.

Batali said focusing on grilling as the single subject of a book was a bit of a departure from his previous cookbooks.

"The other books I've written have been more about the formal table or a restaurant experience," said Batali, who has seven restaurants in New York City alone and other eateries in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

"With this book, I wanted to show everybody what we really cook at my house," he said.

"Italian Grill," Batali said, took about three months to produce. All the photographs, by Beatriz Da Costa, were taken within one week last summer.

"We shot it on July 4 weekend," he said.

According to Batali, grilling Italian-style is actually very natural.

"The difference between Italian and American grilling is that the Italians almost never would resort to a sweet or tomato-based barbecue sauce. They just use olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice," he explained.

Batali said the cuisine of Italy, in general, is all about simplicity.

"Italian cooking is not about masking the natural flavor. The whole idea behind Italian grilling is that the main ingredient is the most important thing, and all of the stuff you do to it just enhances that a little bit."

In the book, Batali presents a variety of recipes for dishes such as asparagus wrapped in pancetta with citronette, shrimp rosemary, spit-roasted prime rib, clams in cartoccio, chicken thighs with snap peas and agliata and waxy potatoes with chianti vinegar.

Home cooks shouldn't expect strict, authentic Italian recipes but many inventive Italian-inspired dishes done Batali-style.

The chef encourages home cooks to treat the grill like any other tool.

"It's best when it does what it does, all by itself. Put something on there like a whole fish, allow it to char there, don't move it too quickly and then move it when it's ready," he said.

Batali, who first caught the attention of the general public as the host of the former Food Network show "Molto Mario," said he remains excited by many ordinary yet fascinating things in the food industry.

"I'm a simple fellow. The things that excite me are the changes in seasons. When I see the first asparagus, even though there was asparagus last year, it's like I've never seen it before. The first time you cook an acorn squash for the season, or the first time you make an apple or quince pie, every year, it's a surprise to me," he said.

"It's also the markets of the world, the cooks in the world and the people living outside of the box. It's Grant Achatz (Chicago chef), it's Moto here in Chicago, it's molecular gastronomy. That's all fascinating to me," Batali said.

If he can boil his philosophy down, he said "seasonal and regional" sum it up.

"If we can do that, our whole world will improve. We won't be shipping things and won't need so much fuel. It's a win-win for everybody," he said.

'Green' when it comes to cuisine long has been his focus.

In fact, Batali mentioned that his restaurant, Del Posto in New York, which he owns with Joe Bastianich and Joe's mother, chef Lidia Bastianich, recently was certified by The Green Restaurant Association for its environmentally friendly initiatives.

Batali also has ignited much excitement when he's appeared on "Iron Chef America" the last couple of years. He said working on the show was a "blast."

"I've worked with the same team the whole time. We don't lose very often. That feels really good," he said.

In addition to his television shows through the years, his growing empire of restaurants and other projects, Batali is a spokesman for Crocs, a soft, colorful sandal-type shoe that he's been wearing since before they became so popular.

"My wife bought them for me in Aspen before they were even a national brand," he said.

Batali has various styles of the shoes, but he only wears one color -- his signature orange!

"I wear them with tuxedos, and I wear them with Speedos," he said, laughing.

The next major project on Batali's plate is the PBS series "Spain -- On the Road Again," scheduled to debut in September.

"It's me and Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Bittman and Claudia Bassols," he said. "We drive around Spain, tasting food."

Batali said he and Paltrow are old friends.

"I met her in my restaurant Babbo a long time ago," he said.

In conjunction with the debut of Batali's new "Italian Grill" cookbook, a grilling competition was launched at his Web site. Fans can enter through July 30 and need only submit their best grilled recipes and a video demo. The winner will have a chance to grill a recipe and tailgate with Batali and Rachael Ray at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in November. Visit www.mariobatali.com/grillingcontest.

If you'd like to test your skill on the grill, try these Batali recipes from "Italian Grill."

Shrimp Rosemary Spiedini Alla Romagnola

1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only (about 2 cups loosely packed)

1 bunch basil, leaves only (about 2 cups packed)

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds large shrimp (21-30 per pound), peeled and deveined

12 large rosemary sprigs, prepared as skewers and soaked in water for at least 2 hours, or overnight

2 lemons, cut into wedges

* Toss the parsley and basil leaves into a food processor, add the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and zap until the herbs are chopped and the bread crumbs look green. Transfer to a pie plate or wide shallow bowl, add the shrimp, and toss to coat well.

* Skewer 4 or 5 shrimp on each rosemary sprig (the easiest way to do this is line up 4 or 5 shrimp -- spoon fashion -- at a time on a work surface and run a skewer through them; then separate them slightly so they will cook evenly). Dredge on both sides in the bread crumb mixture, place on a platter, and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

* Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Put a piastra, or flat griddle, on the grill to preheat.

* Spritz or brush the piastra with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the skewers on the piastra and cook, turning once, just until the shrimp are opaque throughout and some of the crumbs are browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the lemon wedges.

Makes 6 servings.

Spit-Roasted Prime Rib

3 tablespoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 2 or 3 whole sprigs

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons Colman's dry mustard

One 8-pound prime rib roast, chine, (or backbone) removed or cracked and fat trimmed to a thin layer by the butcher

About 1 cup dry white wine

Coarse sea salt

* In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and dry mustard and mix well. Rub the spice mixture generously all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

* Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for spit-roasting over indirect medium heat (or according to the instructions for your grill).

* Pour about 1/2-inch of wine into the drip pan, add the rosemary sprigs and set under the center of the spit.

* Push the spit through the roast and secure it with the clamps. Attach the spit to the rotisserie mechanism, cover the grill, and cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your grill, or until the internal temperature -- insert an instant-read thermometer about 3 inches deep into the center of the roast, without touching the bones -- reaches 115 to 120 degrees for medium-rare (the temperature will rise at least 5 degrees while the roast rests).

* Check the temperature after 1-1/4 hour; once it has reached 110 degrees or so, check it often.

* Remove the spit from the grill and place the roast, still on the spit, on a carving board (if you remove the spit before letting the roast rest, you will lose a lot of the juices) to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

* Remove the spit from the roast, carve the meat into 3/4-inch thick slices, and place on a platter. Set out a small bowl of coarse salt and a pepper mill alongside, and serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings.

Clams in Cartoccio

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/8 -inch dice (ask the butcher to slice the pancetta 1/8-inch thick when you buy it)

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 to 3 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 pounds New Zealand cockles or small clams, such as Manilas, scrubbed

12 ripe Sungold or cherry tomatoes, halved

* Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.

* In a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, combine the oil and pancetta and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

* Add the bell peppers, garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, just until the peppers are beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil.

* Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat, and set aside to cool completely.

* Cut six 12-inch squares of heavy-duty foil. Lay out the squares on a large work surface and fold up the edges of each one to form a shallow bowl. Divide the clams among them, then divide the pancetta mixture, with its liquid, among them

* Scatter 4 tomato halves over each pile. Bring the four corners of each foil packet up over the clams like a hobo sack and twist the top together securely, crimping the edges to create a tight seal.

* Place the packs on the hottest part of the grill and wait until you can hear the juices bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes, then let cook for 4 minutes longer. Transfer the packets to a large platter and serve, warning your guests of the piscatorial facial that awaits them.

Makes 6 servings.