How to turn Christmas party leftovers into a Mexican brunch

’Tis the season … to party! Which often means tables laden with treats, which then transform into a carnage of half-eaten plates of food as the night nears an end. The hummus, taramasalata and guacamole oxidise and go crusty, the mini sausage rolls mutate into cardboard imitations, while the nachos go very chewy.

The Environmental Health Organisation recommends that chilled foods remain out of the fridge for no longer than four hours, while the Australian Food Authority goes even further, saying it must not be returned to the fridge if it’s been out for more than two hours.

To prevent unnecessary waste, lay the table with plenty of non-perishable foods in advance, and wait until your guests arrive to serve chilled foods, and in small quantities at a time. Any leftovers that have remained within EHO guidelines are potential meals throughout the week. Those chewy nachos can be refreshed and made crunchy again by blasting them in a 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½ oven for five minutes, or reheat them in some leftover salsa to make a post-party, zero-waste brunch.

Chilaquiles

Some Mexican friends recently taught me how to make this delicious, zero-waste brunch out of leftover nachos or tortilla chips and salsa. To avoid using the oven unnecessarily, refresh the nachos in the oven alongside other ingredients, or skip this step altogether. Although the chilaquiles will have a softer texture than fresh nachos, they’re still wonderful.

100g stale nachos
2 eggs (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
100g enchilada salsa, or any tomato chilli salsa
½ red onion, peeled and finely diced
4 sprigs coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves left whole
50g queso fresco or feta
2 tbsp soured cream (optional)

First refresh the nachos, lay them on a baking tray and bake in a 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½ for five minutes, until they go crisp.

To make the chilaquiles for two, fry the eggs in a glug of oil and, once they’re cooked how you like, remove and put to one side. In the same pan, warm through the salsa, then stir in the nachos and, almost immediately, transfer to two plates. Top each portion with an egg, some finely diced red onion, several sprigs of coriander and crumbled queso fresco or feta, and finish with a dollop of soured cream, if you wish.