Leftover food from the holiday spread shouldn’t go to waste. They can be served anew with just a little creativity and a twist here and there.

If you have excess spaghetti or macaroni pasta in the cupboard and leftover meat like ham, pot roast or roast chicken in the fridge, plus lots of eggs, put them all together to create delicious spaghetti frittata.

“It’s a whole new festive meal for the family,” says chef Dorothy Ferreria. “It’s easy and flavorful and can be done in less than 15 minutes.”

Frittata is like a glamorized omelet you can dump in any cooked food you fancy.

One secret technique in making perfect frittata is to use a parchment paper over the pan. The mixture won’t stick to the bottom even if you use a nonstick pan, and you can easily flip the frittata over.

“It’s ideal for brunch and you can even put in your leftover adobo or turkey for the frittata,” adds Ferreria.

Now, if you don’t know what else to do with your baskets of apples, slice them into thin wedges, cook them in sugar and serve them as your toppings to dress up your afternoon snack.

“You can use the sweetened apples as sidings or toppings for hotcakes, waffles, or over toasted raisin bread,” says Ferreria, who runs her own private cooking and baking classes (tel. 0919-5669977).

This apple dish takes only  about five minutes to cook and comes out as another unique dessert.

Spaghetti Frittata

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp all-purpose cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ c chopped spring onions or leeks
• 1 ¼ c cooked spaghetti noodles
• ½ c sliced button mushrooms
• ½ c diced or shredded leftover pot roast, ham or roast chicken
• 50 g or ¼ of a 200-g bar of quick-melt cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil or corn oil

Apple Topping in a Jiffy

• 3 pcs apples, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ c white sugar
• ¼ c brown sugar
• 1 ½ to 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp calamansi juice

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1. In a bowl, combine eggs, cream, salt, pepper and onion. Beat with wire whip until blended.

2. Add cooked noodles, mushrooms and desired cooked meat. Set aside.

3. Line the bottom and sides of  nonstick frying pan (6 or 8 inches diameter) with baking parchment. Place over low heat and pour in olive oil.

4. Add the egg mixture.

5. As soon as the sides of the frittata are done (center will be wet), cover the frittata with a sheet of baking parchment and invert the frittata to another nonstick frying pan.

6. Remove paper and cover the surface of frittata with grated cheese and continue to cook until the frittata is done. To check for doneness, the center must spring back when touched and the bottom color of frittata must be light golden brown.

7. For the apple topping, heat butter in frying pan. Add apples and sauté until glossy.

8. Add white and brown sugar. Continue to cook until sugar is melted. Add cinnamon and calamansi juice. Mix well and remove from heat.

9. Place apple slices on top of pancakes.