A new take on Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking

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

Sauerkraut

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 141

I was very surprised to see a recipe for making your own sauerkraut in the book. Upon second glance, I noticed that the cabbage is not fermented here, but salted and pickled instead. I was curious and tried it out- and later surprised because it did work really well. And as a German I suppose I have something to say about sauerkraut 🙂

The sauerkraut tastes fresh and retains its crunch, the spices are well balanced and aromatic.
I decided to strain the spiced vinegar before pouring into the jars with the sauerkraut, which worked great. The amount of spiced vinegar was far too much for my sauerkraut, so I kept the remaining vinegar in a bottle in the fridge and used it for salad dressings. Would also make a great gift for another foodie…
As the recipe does not specify how long the sauerkraut has to mature before using, I tried the first batch after about two weeks and the second batch after 5 weeks. From week 2 to week 5, it had not changed much in taste or consistency and was very nice. After draining from the jar, the sauerkraut was still very salty, so I did rinse it with cold water.

Another try with a remaining jar of Sauerkraut, 9 weeks after I had made it showed that it does not keep well for that long. The Sauerkraut had turned greyish and had developed an unpleasant taste.

I tried the sauerkraut in these recipes: Sauerkraut and Veggy Dogs, and Maine Sauerkraut.

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Linda's recipes

Ghivetch Casserole

From Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 100

The name of this recipe caught my eye, as did the great variety of vegetables used in this dish. The vegetables are sautèed and then stewed with a tomato sauce in a casserole dish.

The origin of this dish seems to be unclear and similar dishes are known in many countries. Ghivetch is mostly ascribed as a Bulgarian recipe and sometimes meat or yoghurt is added to the casserole.

Linda’s Ghivetch Casserole is very colourful as it contains such a variety of vegetables. I served it with pasta, which was a good combination.

Variations: Despite all the different veg, I think the Casserole needs more seasoning to bring out the flavour a bit better. I would suggest adding some paprika powder and a little chilli. I would also omit the green peas as they turn hard when cooked for too long.
Leftovers can be reheated and taste at least as good as straight from the oven.

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Linda's recipes

Pancake Mix

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 148

Here, Linda McCartney presents another recipe everyone should have . It is a simple pancake mix which gives you very thin and delicious pancakes- very similar to french crepes.

Vegan: As it is veganuary and my aim was to cook vegan recipes only, I substituted the egg for 50g of pureed silken tofu. This worked really well and tasted just like a pancake should taste. Using plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk made the pancakes vegan.

Gluten-Free: I also tried a gluten-free version of this recipe, which was not very sucessful. In this recipe, the dough needs to stand for some time for the dough to thicken. This only works with flour that contains gluten- the rice and tapioka flour blend I used did not change at all when soaking and the dough was far too runny.
To still adapt this recipe as gluten-free, you need to use more flour than specified in the recipe (I took a total of 175g) or try oat flour instead.

Variations: Pancakes are very versatile and we make them in “emergencies” when we really need some quick comfort food. As the recipe does not use any sugar, the pancakes can also be filled with savoury ingredients. We like filling them with salad, olives, and yoghurt dressing, and the children love vegetable sticks and tomato ketchup. As sweet fillings, a favourite is a mix of sugar and ground cinnamon, but you can also try all kinds of jam, banana and peanut butter or chocolate spread. There is no limit to imagination…

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Linda's recipes

Stuffed Peppers

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking p. 126

This is a recipe for peppers, stuffed with rice, TVP mince and tomato sauce, and baked in the oven.

A few days ago, when discussing what to eat on the weekend, my husband mentioned that he would love to have some Stuffed Peppers- a dish he knows from meals at his grandfather’s. As with many dishes we both know from our families, there was of course a recipe for Stuffed Peppers in Linda’s cookbook. And one more reason to prepare Stuffed Peppers.
My husband prepared the peppers and they were just delicious. Definitely a recipe we will ask him to use again 🙂 .

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Linda's recipes

Garlic Dressing

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 147

Another great basic recipe everybody should know. The garlic dressing has a well-balanced taste and is easy to make. I used a hand-held blender to blend all the ingredients (you don’t even have to crush the garlic when using a blender) and the consistency of the dressing was very creamy and smooth. Usually, I make up salad dressings as I go, but in this case it was worth sticking to the recipe to get the balance right. Or, as my brother-in-law would say “following a recipe gives you a better result” (a statement I normally disagree with as I tend to use whatever there is in the fridge or larder and create meals on the go).

Variations: You can add all different flavours to the dressing, such as fresh herbs, capers, chopped shallot, chopped olives or dried tomatoes or… Endless variations!

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Linda's recipes

Breaded Broccoli

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 134

This is a recipe for steamed broccoli, served with toasted and seasoned breadcrumbs. Drizzling the broccoli with some lemon juice before serving adds another taste dimension to this dish ‒ something I would not have thought of in the first place.
My husband thinks that green beans always need to be served with toasted breadcrumbs. It was something his grandfather would cook when the family visited for dinner. My grandmother also loved toasted breadcrumbs, usually combining them with steamed cauliflower.

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Curried Lentils

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 97

This is another very easy recipe that uses only few ingredients but has a great flavour with a twist. I think the lemon rind really adds a fresh and special touch to this dish.
Today, we had the Curried Lentils with Breaded Broccoli and potatoes, but it will also be great served with rice, steamed vegetables and naan bread.

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Linda's recipes

Spaghetti Sauce Bolognaise

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 149

This is the first dish I cooked in the New Year. And as it is “Veganuary“, I decided to cook only vegan recipes or recipes that can be adapted to be vegan this month.
It is a great recipe for a tasty and easy Bolognaise Sauce. Both my children and husband agreed that this is a recipe that should be cooked VERY often ‒ and my son showed some interest in learning how to make this sauce by himself.
I served the sauce with spaghetti and a spoonful of “vegan parmesan” ‒ just great!

Gluten-Free: Make sure the TVP mince you use is gluten-free and use gluten-free spaghetti.

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Linda's recipes

Swiss Fondue

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 127

Having lived in Switzerland for nearly 13 years, this recipe appeared less “exotic” to us than Linda McCartney suggested in her book. Eating Fondue on New Year’s Eve has something of a tradition in my family. We love to sit around a big table, dipping bread and vegetables into the cheese, telling stories and sharing laughs. Perfect to spend time on the last day of the year. This year, we had Swiss Fondue with my brother and his family. Afterwards we went for a walk through the woods to welcome the New Year and watch the fireworks from a tower on a hill.

Variations: A friend taught me to add 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the fondue. This adds a lovely colour and an interesting twist. The white wine can be replaced (partly or completley) with vegetable stock. The cheese melts better when using wine only, but it works quite well with stock, too.
Swiss friends taught us to add 2 tbsp of Kirsch to the Fondue and to rub the inside of the fondue dish with a clove of garlic. Kirsch is also the traditional drink to go with Fondue in Switzerland.
Using corn or potato starch instead of the flour gives a smoother consistency.

In Switzerland, the land of cheese, there are even restaurant serving nothing else than fondue! My husband invited me to a Fondue Restaurant in St.Gallen for one of our first ever dates. It was hard to choose between traditional fondue, fondue with curry and pineapple and chilli fondue. But to be honest, the version with just cheese and garlic is still my favourite.

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Linda's recipes

Sheared Eggs

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

Sheared Eggs are baked in small individual size heat-proof dishes and are great when served with toast and a salad. To me, baking eggs like this was an unusual method and when serving the eggs in the small dished is a lot more impressive than just hard-boiling them. Also, they do taste different than boiled or fried eggs- definitely worth a try!