Looking out of my window – and at the somewhat concerning weather forecast on my cell phone – I think it’s appropriate to begin this post with a quote by one of my all-time favorite Goblins in a certain game universe: “Clobber-time go!”. Frantically trying to ignore the 39°C looming on the horizon of the fast approaching weekend, I can say that in the grand scheme of early Summer “clobber-time” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

To me personally it simply marks the point in kitchen-time when I roll up my – imaginary, for the time being – sleeves and get creative with all those delicious little summery things available right now. Think anything seasonal and refreshing that could possibly be carried around in our picknick basket~ It’s the kickoff for this year’s outdoorsy adventure season for Hubby and me! And here’s what it looks and tastes like when we escape the heat into the greens~!

Summery Frittata with Salsiccia, Peas and Goat’s Cheese
…with a blob of deiciously creamy Burrata on top, just because!

200-225g Salsiccia, fresh or in the still soft stage of its dry-aging process, sliced into ~½ cm disks
½ Tsp Whole Fennel Seeds
Alt: 10-12 Slices of Parma Ham
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Shallot, finely diced
1 Red Chilli, deseeded and sliced – aim for taste over heat when picking your chili
150g Frozen and Thawed or Fresh, Blanched Peas
5-6 Leafy Sprigs of Basil, leaves picked and roughly chopped
125g Log of Goat’s Milk Camembert, roughly diced into bite-sized pieces
8 Medium or Large “happy” Eggs
2 Tsp Dried Italian Herb Blend
50-75g Pecorino, grated – Pepper Pecorino is a staple in our cheese box and it works wonders!
1 Unwaxed Lemon, Zest only
Fennel Salt to taste – I have a Peppermill filled with a 50/50 blend of toasted fennel seeds and coarse sea salt at the ready. If you don’t, simply grind up a pich of each in a pestle & mortar~
Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
Deco: Fresh Buffalo Burrata, Fresh Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives… your pick!

1) Gloss the bottom of a heavy-based, about 25-27cm in DIA pan with the oil and evenly distribute the Salsiccia disks. Quick note to the aesthetically focused among you guys – “down” will be “up” at the end of this road, so feel free to design your sausage-disk pattern as you see fit~
2) In case you are going with the ham alternative, start with the onions and keep the ham on standby up until about 3 seconds before the end of this recipe~
3) Sprinkle the whole fennel seeds on top of the lot and turn the heat to medium-high. As the temperatures are rising, the Salsiccia will give off some of its fat, so don’t worry about things burning up on you.
4) Once you see the Salsiccia starting to squeeze out some liquids, sprinkle in the shallot dice and chilis bits – aim for the spaces between the sausage disks but don’t worry too much about target practice if you miss.
5) Allow the lot to mind its own business for a few minutes – until, upon closer inspection, you see the shallot dice turn translucent and the sausage disks sporting deliciously golden and crispy bottoms.
6) Meanwhile, grab a bowl crack in the eggs and season the mix with the italian herbs, lemon Zest, fennel salt and pepper. Give the mix a good whisk until everything is evenly combined.
7) Back to the proceedings in your pan – Stir in the peas and give them 1-2 mins to heat through.
8) Evenly sprinkle on the chopped basil and scatter the goat’s cheese bites on top.
9) Pick up the egg mixture and swiftly whisk in the pecorino.
10) Gently pour the egg mixture over the contents of your pan – slowly enough to avoid shifting the contents of the pan around too much and swiftly enough to keep the pecorino from setting in the egg mixture.
11) Pop on a fitting lid and find something else to do for roundabout 5-7 minutes.

12) For the ham-route takers: have a look at the surface of the frittata after 2-3 mins under the lid; Once the mixture starts setting around the rims, it’s time to drape the ham slices on top.
13) Now, I’d love you give you accurate cooking times, but they mostly depend on your stove and pan, so I’ll go with universally applicable eye-measurements at this point: once, at a gently shake of the pan, the frittata comes loose and easily moves inside the pan, have a look (and/or a very careful findertip) at the surface – if it’s not glossy in a sticky way anymore, you’re done!
14) Just in case you’ve used an oven-proof pan and you have an oven with a built-in grill at your disposal, you could go wild with an additional layer of pecorino and 3-4 mins under the grill.
15) Either way, once the pan-time’s up, flip the frittata out of the pan with the help of a large enough plate and/or someone strong and steady enough to do the deed~Alternatively, simply slide the “fancy omelette” as Hubby calls them from time to time out of the pan onto a decorative plate. Be very careful with this – due to the lack of binding agents and the chunky filling, these types of frittatas break easily.
16) And that’s all there is to it… unless you have a thing for creamy, mouthwateringly fresh and smooth toppings like, say, a glossy orb of fresh buffalo Burrata and a drizzle of olive oil! Go with whatever floats your boat, find a comfy place in the shade and…

..Enjoy~!

♥