A new take on Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking

Brownie

Linda McCartney’s book “Home Cooking” was the very first cookbook I ever bought ‒ back in 1992. Twenty-seven years later, I have re-discovered this book in my bookshelf. But while most of the recipes are still great today, the pictures in the book and the layout do not do them justice any more. So I decided to cook and photograph as many recipes as possible from this book, and to include gluten-free and vegan versions wherever possible. Read more about my idea to start cooking Linda’s recipes. Have fun browsing Linda’s recipes below, search by tag or have a look at some of my own recipes. You can also browse my photos.

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Linda's recipes

Lentil and Steaklets Stew

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 104

An easy-to-make recipe; great with some crusty bread on a cold spring (or winter’s) day.
By the way: This is the 150th recipe I have tried from Linda’s book!!

Variations: In my opinion, there is too much TVP in the recipe, overwhelming the veg in this dish. I reduced the TVP chunks to half the amount recommended. As I only had some brown lentils in my store cupboard, I mixed brown and red lentils which produced a great flavour and made the dish look more interesting.

Gluten-Free: Make sure the TVP and the maccaroni you are using are gluten-free.

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Linda's recipes

Celery and Rice Salad

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 72

This is a recipe for a rice salad with celery, spring onions and lemon juice, with a mayonnaise dressing.

A spring lunch (at the top: stuffed tomato with celery and rice salad). Photo by Almut Spaeth

I tried this rice salad as a stuffing for tomatoes and thought it makes a wonderful colourful center to any lunch plate (or could also be served as a starter).
As always, I made a lighter version, using only 2 tbsp of mayo. All in all, the salad was a little too plain for my taste. I would recommend adding some cubed red pepper or even some red chilli.

Vegan: Use vegan “mayonnaise” for this recipe.

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Linda's recipes

Potato Salad and Mayonnaise

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 76

A potato salad with celery and onion and a mayonnaise dressing.

A spring lunch (Potato Salad and Mayonnaise on left). Photo by Almut Spaeth

As with many recipes using mayonnaise, I prefer a lighter version than Linda’s. I used just 2 tbsp. of mayo and added 120g plain yoghurt. To give more flavour to the salad, I also added 1tbsp of white wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp of mustard powder.

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Linda's recipes

Stuffed Curried Eggs

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 68

Another recipe for curried eggs (see also recipe for curried eggs in the book “Home Cooking”, p. 97)- seemingly a favourite of Linda’s.

A spring lunch (Stuffed Curried Eggs at top right corner). Photo by Almut Spaeth

In comparison to the “Curried Eggs” recipe, I found the taste of soy sauce too dominant in these Curried Eggs and did prefer the mustard-flavoured filling. Still, my family loved them; the biggest fault they could find with the curried eggs was that there was not enough:-)

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Stilton Pâté

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 68

A creamy pâté full of flavour- an interesting spread for crackers or toast and great as a dipp with raw vegetables.

A spring lunch (Stilton Pâté on right hand corner). Photo by Almut Spaeth

I was always reluctant to buy stilton and found the flavour too strong. Now with my project of trying all the recipes in Linda’s book, I felt obliged to also try out the Stilton Pâté. Lucky me 🙂 I was so surprised by the taste of the pâté and just loved it. As did my husband who has also never been keen on Stilton. A new family favourite!

Variations: To make a lighter (but admittedly less creamy) version, replace the cream cheese by plain yoghurt or half yoghurt half quark.

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Linda's recipes

Meatless Loaf

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 106

A Meatless Loaf made from TVP, breadcrumbs, egg, sour cream and spices, and baked in a tomato sauce.

This is a recipe that can easily be turned into a gluten-free dish by using gluten-free breadcrumbs. The Meatless Loaf had a nice savoury taste (I added 1 tbsp. of nutritional yeast) and pleasant consistency. I did not like the typical “TVP taste” so much and would have preferred a loaf based e.g. on pulses, but my husband found the loaf to be perfect.
Maybe this is another recipe written for non-vegetarians??

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Linda's recipes

Savoury Cabbage and Sour Cream

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 142

A hot dish with steamed cabbage and sour cream.

The cabbage is slow-cooked and retains some of its “bite” and all of its flavour. Serving it with sour cream is different to most other cabbage recipes and gives a creamy, slightly sour taste. I omitted the egg and thought the sauce was still well-balanced. Still, I think the cabbage could do with some more flavour, eg. by adding fried onion or caraway seeds.

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Linda's recipes

Burgers with Fried Onion

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 91

A simple recipe of burgers, fried together with onion.

Doesn’t everything taste better with fried onions? I especially love fried oninons with some plain boiled potatoes and a pich of salt. A great comfort food.

For vegan and gluten-free option, make sure that the burgers you use are vegan and/or gluten-free.

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Linda's recipes

Gingerbread Cake

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 160

A simple cake with spices and black treacle. Serve when still a little warm with a cup of tea or coffee.

I tried a gluten-free version, using 150g rice flour, 40g tapioca flour, 40g potato flour, 1 tsp. xanthan gum and 1 tsp. baking powder to relace the self-raising flour. The cake was springy and still moist. Baking time can be reduced to 35 minutes for a gluten-free cake.

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Linda's recipes

Chef’s Salad

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 72

A colourful salad with cheese and veggie “bacon”.

We had this salad as a light dinner and enjoyed having so many different ingredients in the salad- makes eating fun 🙂
Instead of veggie “bacon”, I used some smoked tofu which I sliced and fried with a little oil.