By Nick Risidi, of Amici Ristorante in East Parade, Keighley.

IT was only last month I was recommending that you have one last barbecue to make the most of the last of the nice weather and see off summer with style.

Suddenly, not only does it feel like autumn, it feels like winter is almost here!

And there are not only signs that winter is coming, but that Christmas is coming too.

Because Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry, (which can cost a lot of money) I wanted to share with you a recipe that is both warming and economical.

The word "frittata" comes from the Italian word "friggere", which roughly translates as ‘fried’.

Originally the word frittata was just used to describe any egg based dish cooked in a skillet.

These days frittata usually refers to a sort of open omelette, with ingredient being folded into the eggs before they are cooked.

The eggs are beaten more vigorously to incorporate more air than traditional savoury omelettes, and the mixture is then cooked on a lower heat for longer.

Unlike the omelettes we are used to, it is not folded closed, in favour of being cooked on both sides, either in the pan or under the grill.

The recipe I am sharing with you this week is for Frittata di Pasta, which is a cross between a frittata and a pasta dish.

What is great about this recipe is that it is a perfect way to reuse leftover pasta.

Rather than you having to reheating your leftovers, you can instead cook them into an omelette and create an entirely different dish to the one you had the night before.

This is especially convenient because it means that you can tailor the dish to suit your taste, and it be achieved with any kind of pasta from penne to spaghetti.

Of course, the dish does not strictly have to be made with leftover pasta.

If it is just a dish that you fancy, or if you want to try your pasta in a different form, you can cook the kind of pasta you would like in the sauce you desire and make your frittata from there.

Flipping a frittata can be a nervous business, but you should not allow this to put you off.

If you are worried about flipping your frittata, you should know that you do not actually have to flip it. You can just as easily finish it off under the grill. However, if you do want it to cook nice and brown on both sides, there is a tried and tested method for flipping your frittata that I will share with you.

To get started, grab your favourite kind of pasta that has been already cooked and sauced, a skillet (or a special frittata pan if you want all of the effort of flipping taking out of the equation) and some eggs, oil, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

You are now ready to make a dish that is quick, cheap and easy to prepare.

Recipe

Ingredients

130g cooked and sauced pasta 6 large eggs 2 tbsp olive oil 20g grated parmesan cheese Salt to taste Black pepper Butter or oil for the pan

Method (Serves four)

1. Crack six eggs into a bowl and whisk well to ensure that lots of air gets into the mixture, making it as light as possible. Mix in the parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and black pepper.

2. Place your cooked and sauced pasta into a large, non-stick pan. Season with a little salt and pepper before adding two tablespoons of cold water. Heat on a medium-high heat until it is warm, stopping before the contents of the pan start to sizzle.

3. Drain any water from the pan that has not evaporated during cooking before adding the pasta to the egg mixture.

4. Clean out the pan before adding enough oil or butter to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the pan on a medium-low heat before adding the egg and pasta mixture, distributing the pasta evenly around the pan.

5. Turn the pan down to a low heat. If the contents of the pan do not seem to be cooking evenly, rotate the pan in stages to cook your frittata evenly. After about eight minutes, the edges of the frittata should appear set, while the centre will still be a little runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides before slipping a metal spatula underneath to loosen the underside.

6. If you would like to flip your frittata, and do not have a frittata pan, invert a plate over the pan and, holding the plate in one hand and the handle pan in the other, flip your frittata onto the plate. To make sure your frittata does not fold closed, this needs to be done confidently in a swift motion. Set the plate to one side before adding a little more butter or oil to the pan. Then, using the spatula, place the frittata back in the pan. Do no worry if it falls apart a little, as it should come back together during the remaining cooking time – approximately seven minutes.

7. Check that your frittata is fully cooked, make a crack in centre with the spatula, to ensure that the egg is cooked throughout. Serve immediately.