Ruth can Cook

WHAT YOU NEED 2 x Pigeon breasts 1 x Tin of Carrots 1 x Tin Chopped Tomatoes 1 x Tsp Dried Basil 1 x Tsp Dried Oregano 1 x Cooking Onion Olive Oil 2 cups of Conchiglie pasta Salt and Pepper to season. HOW TO MAKE IT In a frying pan place a little oil to seal and brown off the seasoned pigeon breasts. remove and place to one side. Using the same pan add Onion, Tomatoes, Carrots, Basil and Oregano, salt and pepper to season.  Reduce the liquid slightly and return the Pigeon  to the mixture and cook on a low heat to ensure the flavours have infused together. Add salt to boiling water and then add the pasta cook as per packet instructions. TO SERVE Place cooked pasta in a bowl and nestle the Pigeon on top with the ragu. TIP!! I served it with some added garlic bread to soak up the wonderful juices.. hmmn...

WHAT YOU NEED 2 x Portions of Ox Cheek 2 x Medium Onions 1 x Ready to Roll Puff Pastry 1 x Bottle of Hobgoblin Ruby Ale 3-4 Button Mushrooms (Sliced) Salt and Pepper to Season. Cornflour and a little water for thickening How To Make It. Dice the Ox Cheek portions into mouth sized chunks. Roughly chop the onions into decent sizes that will hold the shape when cooked. Into a pan add a little oil and brown off the chunks of meat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook them down slowly, then add the Ale, simmer slowly for about half an hour. allowing the chunks of meat to cook slowly in the Ale. Add seasoning. At this point i added a little cornflour in some water to aid the thickening and continued to reduce the liquid so that the sauce was just right mixture for the pie. Roll out the puff pastry to fit your pie tin, add the pie mixture to the tin and place the pastry on top. place in the oven on medium heat until the pastry has risen and cooked. TIP!! Ox Cheek can be to...

WHAT YOU NEED: 2 x Small Onions 4 x Cloves of Garlic 2 x Salmon Cutlets 1 x half of Green Chilli Pepper (chopped) 1 x Small Tub of Single Cream 1 x knob of Butter Tbsp olive oil Salt and Pepper HOW TO MAKE IT. Finely chop and dice the onions and Garlic. Place into a frying pan and allow them to sweeten not brown in the knob of butter, sweating them down,  mixing continuously on low heat. Add cream and the half of Green pepper, This is the sauce complete.Add salt and pepper. Lightly oil your salmon cutlets, place into a colander over a pan of hot water and steam cook.cover with saucepan lid this should only take about 8 minutes. To serve Place Salmon on warmed plate and add sauce over the top. I served the salmon with sauteed potatoes and peas.

WHAT YOU NEED: 1 x Tbsp Vanilla Extract Ready to Roll Puff Pastry 5 x Tsp Sugar 1 x Tub Mascapone Cheese 250g Double Cream Fresh Strawberries Roll out your Ready Puff Pastry on a floured surface and cut into 3 even slices. place on a baking tray and put into the oven until risen and cooked usually about 15 minutes on gas 5 Meanwhile mix together Mascapone, Double Cream, Sugar, and Vanilla Extract. Slice strawberries ready to assemble. your puff pastry must be cooled before assembly. On each slice of Puff Pastry add equal amounts of cream mixture, followed by a layer of sliced strawberries. To assemble place Puff pastries on top of each other. Your Strawberry Slice is done. Decorate with fresh mint to serve. *Obviously if you want to make small individual ones you can using the same principle, simply cut smaller segments before baking.

WHAT YOU NEED: 150g of Conchiglioni Rigati Pasta 3 x Tsp Tomato Puree 3 x Cloves of Garlic (crushed) Handful of Button Mushrooms 2 x Tbsp Balsamic vinegar Handful fresh Basil leaves 1 x Tinned Tomatoes plus half tin of Water Half Tsp Dried Oregano Half Onion ( Sliced) Pinch of Salt and pepper In a large pan boil some salted water, add the pasta (they are like giant shells to look at). Meanwhile in another pan, put in your Button mushrooms, Tinned Tomatoes and water. Heat, then add Garlic, Oregano, Balsamic vinegar, Onions and Tomato Puree and finally salt and pepper. Reheat and allow the sauce and thicken. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce add the Fresh Basil and stir. The juices will stick to the pasta. Its ready to serve with Garlic Bread.

WHAT YOU NEED: 1 x Large potato 1 x Tbsp (Patak) Chicken Tikka Paste 1 x cup of water (maybe a little more to add to sauce) 1 x Tomato 1 x Red chilli Half chopped onion salt and pepper to taste Peel and chop potato and tomato into mouth sized pieces. Part boil the potatoes in water for about 5-8 minutes then remove and place into a bowl. In the bowl add tomatoes and Tikka Paste (not sauce). mix altogether ensuring tomatoes and potatoes are covered, then add onions, red chilli, salt and pepper. Leave in the fridge for about half an hour for the flavours to infuse. Add a cup of water then gently stir, you may need to add a little more to ensure the potatoes have enough to cook in. Bring to boil stirring most of the time. Prick potatoes with a sharp knife to ensure that they are cooked through. The steam will evaporate and the sauce will thicken. Serve with boiled rice and chapatis.

WHAT YOU NEED: Whole cauliflower 1 x Clove of Garlic 1 x Tbsp Butter Slice the cauliflower into steaks, they each need to be about 2 cm thick. The rest of the cauliflower can be used another day or frozen. Peel and grate the Garlic into your butter. mix together until light, fluffy and spreadable. Spread each cauliflower steak with the Garlic butter on both sides. Place on to a baking tray or appropriate oven dish and put into a hot oven until they are brown on both sides. I served mine with Sunday roast but its also perfect with a little cheese sauce.

WHAT YOU NEED: Pack of Tortillas Packet of Fresh Spinach Tub of Ricotta Cheese Handful of Grated Cheddar Cheese 4oz cream Cheese 1 Tsp Cajun 1 Tsp Mustard Powder Pinch of Ground Pepper Knob of Butter 4 Tbsp Flour 3-4 Cups of milk Grated Parmesan (optional) Firstly Place a tortilla on the surface, spread a layer of Ricotta and then a layer of Spinach. Tuck in the sides and roll up from the bottom and place in an ovenproof dish.  Continue to do this until you have enough portions for who your feeding. leave to one side whilst you do the sauce. In a saucepan place knob of butter and flour and cook it through until combined and cooked through stirring all the time. Add milk, Cajun, Mustard, Pepper. Heat through until it begins to thicken slightly, add your cheeses and continue to stir. Pour the mixture over your tortillas ensuring they are all covered. Grate parmesan over and place into the oven until crispy on top. I served this some grilled mixed peppers and onio...

My favourite always goto herbs are mainly basil, coriander and rosemary. I have them fresh on my window ledge and virtually use them daily. I do use others like parsley, mint and chives but I buy them in fresh packet form and they can last a good week in the fridge. Herbs add a certain je ne sais quoi about food, they taste unique and can add an alternative flavour to all our food.  who would have thought adding rosemary to a leg of lamb? or Garlic to butter? I really enjoy cooking with herbs and spices, basil pesto... with pasta, or adding mint to yoghurt that makes a fantastic dipping sauce for kebabs. The world is our oyster, our imaginations run wild and we begin getting excited over flavours and what we are able to achieve. The different colours, smells and textures most certainly gets the taste buds going. I am most certainly expanding my knowledge on herbs and spices and learning of the country origins and a lot of it goes back to the romans of all people. ...

WHAT YOU NEED: 2 Large Cooking Onions (roughly chopped) knob of butter 1 Red Pepper (roughly chopped) 2 Hot Red Chillies (roughly chopped, add extra chillies if you like it hotter) 4 Cloves Garlic (crushed) Small handful of fresh Coriander (chop storks and shoots) 2 Tsp Smoked paprika 1 Tsp Ground Cumin 1 Tsp Cinnamon 2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes 2 Tins of Water Salt Black pepper Beef (brisket or shin) In a stewpot, place your knob of butter, onions, garlic, red pepper, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and chillies. continually stirring, this will turn a dark colour and possibly begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, don't worry this is just the flavour build up. Add your Tinned tomatoes and refill the tins with water and add these too. stirring all the time, scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavours that may have stuck. Add the coriander, Salt and Black pepper. bring to the heat. Finally add your Beef. I used a good sized Shin of beef. Put it in whole not ...

Not so long ago I brought my pressure cooker because I wanted to save time and with ill health I thought it would make life a little easier. But to my astonishment it works out to be one of the best time saving gadgets I have purchased, I would absolutely recommend anyone to buy one of these. There are several on the market now and range in prices I got mine at a really good price off the internet. I have made stews, boiled rice (to perfection), I even made BBQ wings in it. Its faster than a electric slow cooker even though it had the slow cook enablement button. you can even cook cakes so it says in the instruction manual.  This cost around £35-40 and I have seen larger 5ltr capacity on sale for around the £50 mark There is a timer delay on it so you can go about your day and it will be done for when you return. It keeps warm incase you not back in time for the beeps to say its cooked.  They are a good buy and well worth the money and time saving.

YOU NEED: 1 Pack of Sausages 1 Cooking Onion (Finely chopped) 2 Tins Plum Tomatoes 1 Tsp Dried Oregano 1 Tsp Dried Basil 2 Cloves Garlic (grated) 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 Red Onion (sliced) Salt Ground Black Pepper Firstly strip back the sausages removing all the outer skins. Place this meat into a small bowl, add your finely chopped onion and mix together adding salt and pepper. Make into balls however size you like and place on a baking tray. Oven cook for about 10mins, until browning. These will finish off in the sauce. SAUCE In a skillet, Empty tins of tomatoes chop the plums into chunks (not too small). Add Garlic, Balsamic vinegar, herbs and Red onion, gently simmering. This needs to reduce and slightly thicken, most of the juices will evaporate. Add salt and pepper.  Combine the meatballs to the sauce and cover for about 5 minutes. Serve with pasta of choice. If you want spicy meatballs add some hot paprika to the sausage mixture.

YOU NEED: 1 Chicken Breast 1 Chicken Stock Cube 650ml hot water Half Tsp Chilli Flakes 1 Chopped red chilli Dash Light Soy Sauce Half Spring Onion (finely chopped) 1 Pkt Straight to Wok Rice Noodles Salt Ground Black Pepper Boil the Breast of chicken in the hot water until cooked, remove it leave to rest and save the stock. Add the Chicken Stock cube to the water once this has disappeared, add the rest of the ingredients (except for the noodles)! The ingredients need to infuse in the water, 3minutes before serving add the noodles and slice the chicken breast. Place slices into the serving bowls, pour the soup and noodles over the chicken breasts. put a few spring onions on top just for decoration if desired. If your cooking for more than 2 just double up the ingredients.

YOU NEED: 1 Punnet of Strawberries 2 tbsp. Honey 4 tbsp. Plain yoghurt Of course you can use frozen and this will be done almost instantly, without having to freeze. You can also use different fruits most will turn out just fine. Cut tops off your strawberries (if using fresh), place into your food processor. add the other ingredients and whizz on max until all strawberries have virtually disintegrated into the yoghurt and honey. Freeze until needed.

YOU NEED: 2 Fresh salmon Fillets 1 cup Single Cream 1 Garlic Clove - grated 1 tsp Capers - chopped 2 portions of Fresh Kale Salt and Black Ground Pepper (to taste) SAUCE Put a pan on the stove and pour cream and grated clove heat through but don't boil. Once the flavours of the garlic have infused add the chopped capers stir and your sauce is done. Keep on the heat while you cook the rest. FISH Season your Salmon both sides with salt and pepper. add a little oil to the frying pan and skinside down place your fillets cook each side for 3-4 minutes. KALE Place in salted boiled water for about 6 minutes. strain and serve.

I should have done this along time ago,  people asking me how I do my cooking and where I get my passion from. Who and where do I get my ideas from?  Where does this knowledge come from? I didn't learn this from school thats for sure and certainly didn't go to college to be taught how to cook.  Cooking to me was just enjoyable, like a hobby tried and tested sometimes i failed miserably. My children used to look at me in a way only children do " what is that"? Hiding vegetables in other foods to try and get them to eat their greens. Concealing sprouts and leeks in with a cabbage I knew they liked and enjoyed.  This did work for a while.  I even had to call sausages 'Batman Bangers' just so that my son would eat a sausage! Crazy I know. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen when I was younger.  I was an accident prone kid and whilst I was off school for one reason or another I used to be watching my mum cook in the kitchen.  Bugging her with questions ...

YOU WILL NEED: 6 Cloves of Garlic 4 Large Potatoes Olive oil Salt Ground black pepper 125g  (half a block) Butter I know it seems a lot of garlic and butter, trust me. Peel and cut potatoes into the amount and size needed.  This recipe will work regardless of sizes. Put these on to boil in slightly salted water. We don't want these to cook throughout, just to soften on the outside. Meanwhile put your oven on about gas 5. Now into an ovenproof dish obviously large enough for potatoes put in a glug of olive oil and butter, place into the oven until butter is melted. The oil is there to prevent the butter from burning and to prevent the Garlic going bitter and nasty. When your potatoes have begun softening remove and strain the water. By this time the butter will be melted and the oil has prevented it burning. mix this together. Finely grate the cloves of garlic into the mixture. Add the potatoes. Ensuring the potatoes have been covered in garlic butter, add a...

 YOU WILL NEED: 1 Pack of Tortilla Wraps 1 Jar or carton of Passatta (Italian tomato sauce) Grated cheese Cooked chicken pieces Small amount of butter This recipe is great when you don't have much time or as a late supper. Instead of passatta you could use some BBQ sauce depends on your taste buds at the time. But the same principle applies. Warm up your frying pan with a small knob of butter. Place a Tortilla in the pan, add your sauce just enough to cover the tortilla just like a pizza. Add your grated cheese and chicken pieces. Place another Tortilla on top like a sandwich. As soon as it begins to brown a little underneath turn it over to brown the other side. Slice it up into quarters and enjoy! This can easily be modified try adding some fried onion and mixed peppers for that truly Mexican dish. To save money use left over meats from previous days dinner.

I know and am well aware of the "liver" like or dislike debate. But I feel there is something therapeutic about slicing up a liver. I buy it whole and slice and freeze it myself into portion sizes that I need. That way I can dice it for pies or leave it in slices for a more stick to bones kind of dinner with onion gravy and mashed potatoes. Not long ago I made a batch of this for locals in the pub and they gave me great feedback!  I will post that at a later date. I know its not every ones cup of tea, but when its cooked right not over cooked like its rubber, but effortless enjoyable meat, its just beautiful for an underrated meat served with onion gravy of course.

YOU NEED: Honey nut cereal Plain flour 2 Eggs Beaten 3 Chicken Breasts Sliced into Strips Separate cereal, flour and eggs into 3 separate bowls. Dip each Chicken Strip in turn first in the flour then the egg mixture then finally into the cereal. Finally place into a baking tray for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the strips. They should be browned and crunchy.