Thank you guys for having his discussion. For this summer especially, all these ideas have come as a welcome addition to our cooking habits. I contributed the avacado soup part of this discussion. If you would like to see a picture of the avacado soup please check out Food Nerds on Facebook. We are food lovers who look all the time for new and interesting pairings of flavors and foods. To all of you who have contributed info on the salt types, thank you. I can't wait to try some of these in new salads.

anonyme, thx for the info.

ellen from Manhattan:

There's a fish sauce recipe in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig. You can also buy it at Whole Foods - Thai Kitchen is a good one (not artificial flavors, real fermented fish) A little goes a long way.

Steve and Leonard - I missed the name of the (gray, moist) sea salt - but there's celtic sea salt from Noirmoutier or Guerande - full of trace minerals - great if you can ascertain that it's been raked by "paludiers" who do the traditional thing (back to Roman times they knew things we don't consider now) and rake the salt in the salt flats with wooden rakes (metal messes with trace minerals) It's real salt, no processing. My farmer sells it reasonably - also some buying clubs may as well.

Maybe she was mentioning delicious Fleur de Sel which IS really expensive - that's the whitest salt, sits atop the salt drying in terra cotta flats in Brrittany (Guerande)

THIRTY TWO cookbooks? And that's just one author. I think number thirty three will be, Melissa Clark's "How To Make Dough."

i don't think you've mentioned grilled pizzas, made right on the grill. delicious.

I'm loving this show as I'm currently at home preparing a "summer salad" that my mother used to make for my sisters and I during hot summers in North Carolina. A cold pasta (rotini or penne), tossed with olive oil and fresh basil, and then mixed with halved cherry tomatoes, chunks of grilled chicken, green, yellow and red peppers and topped with monterey jack cheese either grated or cut in small pieces...it's delicious and perfect for leftovers (it's actually better the next day).

Watermelon soup topped with mint...the secret is xanthan gum. It thickens the soup without overpowering the delicate watermelon flavor.

Aspics!

Good ole' jello, that is, except savory, not sweet. I make one with mango, avocado and cold shrimp, all with a SE Asian bent: the jello is spiked with lime, fish sauce, chili peppers, sugar for balance.

http://66squarefeetfood.blogspot.com/2012/07/avocado-and-mango-aspic-with-shrimp.html

LiteLife makes some really good vegetarian sausage.

i have a great room temp sauce for pasta. In a blender:peeled and seeded cucumber,chopped tomatoes,
salt pepper little chopped garlic balsamic vinegar, goat cheese, little evoo. You do have to cook the pasta. Toss with
sauce. It's delicious!

I recently made a salad with mixed organic greens, strawberries, walnuts, goat cheese, oil cured olives, with white balsamic & olive oil. I also use honey & white wine in my dressings often. Or I may use just lemon & olive oil, which seem to go better with wine. Those black oil cured olives are great with slices of fresh orange and with other fruit. They offer a salty pungent contrast to the sweetness of the fruit.

Nick from UWS: I think Ms. Clark may want to try including crushed powdered Xanax in one of her delicious sounding culinary concoctions. Just enough to slow her down so we can follow her. Delicious.

I am one of the unfortunates for whom cilantro tastes like soap...What is a good replacement for cilantro in recipes.

what is the name of the black peppercorn the caller just raved about? Thx!

In the winter I bake bread almost every day. I miss it. What do I do in summer to satisfy my doughy/grainy cravings?

Hi Leonard,
You might try quick pickles with your turnips. So simple and tasty. It is best after a week and will last about a month.

Here's a nice basic recipe.
http://www.stonofarmmarket.com/quick-pickled-turnips.html

GAZPACHO!!!! My favorite for summer, when the tomatoes are real, local and
delicious. Here's a question: how do you skin tomatoes? I have done it by
dipping them in boiling water, then under cold water and peeling off the skin. I have also done it by singeing the skin over a flame, putting them in a paper bag for a minute or so, taking them out and then peeling off the skin. This does give the tomatoes a slightly grilled taste, so for some recipes it might not be right.

At a recent barbecue, a friend made fresh blueberry salsa as a condiment for the grilled pork chops. Forget the chops - the salsa was so fresh and bursting with flavor it was delicious all by it's lonesome. Blueberries, fresh tomatoes, jalapeno, lime juice, a little salt...there may have been a few other ingredients but not too many.

Please suggest ways to use the microwave.

Where do you get or how do you make fish sauce?

Love Melissa's videos on NYtimes.com.

Is that her kitchen, or a set?

I have so much kohlrabi from my CSA. I have roasted it and pureed it, but have heard it is good shredded as a cole slaw. Melissa, do you have a good recipe for kohlrabi slaw?

What is the name of the moist sea salt Melissa mentioned was really good? Btw I have no prob with her speaking on the quick side ... so what.

Put vegtables in your salads, I am taking notes!

I make an amazing refreshing lavender lime sorbet. And what about the blossoms from zucchini plants!

Maldon's sea salt is hands down the best of the sea salts. I know many people who carry it in their handbag also! Everyone I have introduced to it becomes a convert!

This woman ought to do a little less cocaine before coming on the radio. Can't understand half the things she is saying, she seems to be talking to herself. "Do you have an electric mumble?" for cous cous.

Making a living on common sense?!