Do you ever throw out cooked, leftover spaghetti? While living in Italy, my grandmother (Nonna Annunziata) never threw out extra ingredients. To my amazement, she used the leftover spaghetti to variate our frittatas. She simply beat eggs with Pecorino Romano cheese. She then added the cooked spaghetti to the egg mixture and cooked it in an oiled skillet. Wow! Everyone loved it, except for me. And now, everyone loves my spaghetti frittata, including me!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley (optional)
2 to 3 cups cooked, drained and cooled spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil (for coating skillet)
1 to 2 large, vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into cubes and set in a bowl
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for tomatoes)
Directions:
1. In a 3-quart mixing bowl, beat the eggs, cheese, salt and black pepper together.
2. Stir in the parsley (optional) and the spaghetti; set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil.
4. When oil is hot, add the spaghetti-egg mixture to the skillet.
5. Immediately set heat on low and cover the skillet.
6. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
7. After about 6 to 7 minutes, tilt the skillet. Using a spatula, left edges of frittata and let the raw egg escape to the sides and bottom of skillet.
8. Cover the skillet and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
9. After 3 to 4 minutes, place a large, flat platter over skillet and quickly flip the skillet with frittata over and onto the platter.
10. Carefully slide the flipped frittata back into the skillet.
11. Cover the skillet and cook the frittata for about 5 minutes.
12. After 5 minutes, using a spatula, lift the frittata bottom to check if underside is golden brown. If it is golden brown, the frittata is done. If not, cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes.
13. Slide the frittata into 6 to 8 wedges and garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley.
14. At serving time, add extra virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper to the cubed tomatoes; stir together.
Serve immediately with Italian bread or toasted bagels.
Text and Photograph ©2015 Nancy DeLucia Real
Nancy DeLucia Real is an art historian and chef. She has led culinary courses at the Italian Cultural Institute, The Getty Center and The Getty Villa and is a former member of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. Nancy's gastronomy training took place in the heart of Italy under the tutelage of her grandmother. She has taught international cuisine at Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table Stores. Nancy's art history & culinary courses are ongoing at various institutions. She also teaches private cooking classes. 
