Mario Batali Talks Eataly, Cooks Spaghetti Carbonara With Jimmy Fallon (Who Cuts Himself)

A rambunctious Mario Batali appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night to chat with Jimmy about the just-opened Eataly (see photos of Eataly here) and the Batali/Bastianich empire's new in-house-published magazine Viaggio ("Voyage"), edited by Bob Guccione, Jr.

The hightlight was a lively cooking demo with Fallon as underachieving but adorable sous chef to Batali, who made Spaghetti Carbonara. The dish was ostensibly Jimmy Fallon's submitted recipe for the new Celebrity Pasta Lovers' Cookbook, put together by Barilla, Mario Batali and Julianne Moore, and available for free download at sharethetable.com (which the project benefits).

Jimmy Fallon had a Harry Smith moment, somehow managing to cut his finger on a microplane while grating cheese. Fallon also squeezed in an early birthday cake surprise for Batali, who turns 50 in a couple weeks.

Check out the videos below to see all that action and more.

WATCH: Batali talks Eataly & Viaggio :

WATCH: Batali cooks Fallon's spaghetti carbonara; Fallon cuts himself, and celebrates Mario's 50th birthday:

Comments

[Absolon]

06:25 PM on 09/13/2010

Jimmy Fallon is a limp deecked wanna-be. Really.

[MajorKong]

11:40 AM on 09/12/2010

Bacon and egg pasta. What's not to like?

[Pleroma]

04:06 PM on 09/11/2010

Where's MEATHEAD??­?

[NunzusCaesar]

04:45 PM on 09/10/2010

From the photos, it looks exactly like the mother store in Torino. Eataly in Torino is just fantastic. I am sure it will be hard to get near this store it will be so popular.

[firefighter13]

03:41 PM on 09/10/2010

I watched Mario's cooking show on a foodie channel , but it was moved or canceled. I thought it was a very good cooking program. He taught as he cooked and gave a bit of history of the region of Italy it came from. Simple foods with wonderful flavor and tectures. Pasta and sauce, what could possible be better?

[Lefty Pockets]

04:59 PM on 09/13/2010

I agree. It was the best cooking show I've ever seen. I don't know if its still on or not.

[raker]

03:32 PM on 09/10/2010

I want to go to there.

[Noisyguy]

03:29 PM on 09/10/2010

Isn't Mario Batali the guy who's being sued by former employees for tip-steali­ng..??? Shame on him!

[bdbbrooklyn]

04:24 PM on 09/10/2010

Yes. And, if you saw him on that PBS special with Gweneth Paltrow touring Spain . . insufferab­le.

[Noisyguy]

05:34 PM on 09/10/2010

bdbbrookly­n - Yes, I did see that PBS show, and yes - it was completely unbearable­; gross even.

[John3234]

03:28 PM on 09/10/2010

Mmmm Pasta ala Salmonella

[Serasera]

07:46 PM on 09/10/2010

It's a worthwhile precaution­, but salmonella is killed at 140f (75c), so it's not a concern here where the eggs reach a sufficient temperatur­e in thickening­. This isn't Caesar salad after all.

[chardonnay48]

02:55 PM on 09/10/2010

Man me and Mario are the same age, I gotta think about this.

[praxitas]

02:45 PM on 09/10/2010

fallon that is. i like batali.

[praxitas]

02:44 PM on 09/10/2010

why does this guy have a show?

[Serasera]

02:37 PM on 09/10/2010

Batali deserves credit for not using cream, but as for the rest, don't try this at home, you'll end up with soup.

What's he doing with all that water?

And Mario, you're not emulsifyin­g the eggs here, your cooking them, (to a very creamy consistenc­y, if it's done right). Even though this is television­, some people actually believe what you say and try to learn from it.

I suspect that they didn't show the last step, where they go out to eat something cooked properly.

Carbonara is the most misunderst­ood popular dish there is.

Total calories for a nice serving is around 550. Full of protein and in Rome at least, about one egg, andnot much more than half an ounce of pork. Not at all the heart attack provoker that it's often accused of being.

[Lefty Pockets]

05:09 PM on 09/13/2010

I have had a life-long love affair with carbonara. I can't say I make it healthy, but it is a special treat to have sometimes. In my family we go heavier on the bacon (not pancetta) and add a good dollop of parsley and some roughly chopped onions cooked in some of the reserved bacon grease. I agree about the cream, though one shouldn't ignore the benefits of cream in pastas. I make a sausage pasta with just a bit of cream in it which is just what the doctor ordered. Cream can ruin a pasta but that's usually the cook's fault in going overboard with cream, cheese and butter.

[Big Game Hunter]

02:23 PM on 09/10/2010

mmmmmm Carbonara

[unami]

02:17 PM on 09/10/2010

I bought Batali's over-price­d jarred Marinara sauce last week, it was awful and the bright orange color of carrots.

[hulagirrrl]

02:37 PM on 09/10/2010

Italian food should never be overpriced­, some of the cheapest fare you can have, if you make it yourself. I can only recommend you try making your own marinara, and bet you'll never buy one again. Unless of course you like the jars they come in... Aloha

[VerizonCells]

03:01 PM on 09/10/2010

Dont shop atbMario Batali Eataly, huge rip off and most items in store can be bought for much less.

[owiseone]

04:55 PM on 09/10/2010

Oh yes. A good marinara can be so simple, yet so delicious. There are so many different recipes that it may look complicate­d but it's not. I've not had a jarred one yet that beat any one of many homemade ones.

Use a can of tomatoes, an onion (or not), some fresh garlic (minced), a little basil, a little more oregano, a shake of red pepper flakes (or not)...any­thing else...I like to add a little fennel seed and maybe a bit of minced salami....­I don't even saute the onion/garl­ic anymore...­just throw it all in and simmer....­fifteen or twenty minutes till the onion is soft or simmer longer for flavors to meld a bit...

You can break up the tomatoes in the can if you want (stick blenders are great) or smoosh them a bit and leave them lumpy.

[MajorKong]

11:41 AM on 09/12/2010

There's no reason to buy pasta sauce in a jar. Most of the commercial brands are loaded with sugar.

It's very easy and quick to make yourself.

[happycat]

11:45 AM on 09/12/2010

I have young kids. There usually isn't much time to make sauce from scratch. There are a lot of organic jarred sauces out now, that are lower in sugar and taste delicious.

[JoeHurley]

02:12 PM on 09/10/2010

I have to say that it's astounding to me that Mr. Batali is explaining what an Italian-Am­erican market is about without mentioning the existing neighborho­ods, stores, and marketplac­es in NYC that Eataly is emulating on a giant commercial scale.

[hulagirrrl]

02:46 PM on 09/10/2010

I forgot to mention how much I love NYC and their little stores. Long ago, when I first came to this country and still missed so many things from "home", I would venture the neighborho­ods in NYC and we would usually find many familiar things. I lived in New Jersey then, and made the trip maybe twice a month to explore your city, I loved every minute of it.