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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Christmas Pudding

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 158

This is a traditional vegetarian Christmas Pudding with lots of dried fruit, nuts and spices. As suggested in the book, I prepared our Pudding in autumn and let it mature until Christmas. Even though it takes very long (6 hours!) to steam, the result was definitely worth it. Sadly, not everybody in my family is fond of Christmas Pudding ‒ therefore I only made two small Puddings and gave one to a friend who loved the surprise just in time for Christmas.

Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding, Photo by Almut Spaeth

Gluten-Free: I substituted the flour and the breadcrumbs for gluten-free products, which worked well.

Alternatives: The brazil nuts I used seemed not to mature too well in the pudding, giving it a slighly unpleasant note. I think that they must either have been old when I used them (even though they were well before the “best before” date) or that there has been another problem. Next time I would try using more almonds instead of the brazil nuts to give a milder flavour.

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German Potato Salad

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 75

As a tradition, my family always eats potato salad and sausages on Christmas Eve. It is a meal that can be prepared in advance and is ready whenever a meal is needed in between all the preparations for Christmas. There really was no other option than to try Linda’s “German” Potato Salad this year 😉 I do not know what makes this salad typical German, but I must admit that it is very similar to the potato salad my Mum taught me to make. As I usually prefer lighter dishes with less sour cream, I substituted the sour cream with yoghurt. For a fresher taste, I recommend adding some diced gherkins and two chopped shallots.

Vegan: Substitute the sour cream for plant-based yoghurt and make sure your mayonnaise is vegan, too.

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Brown Sugar Loaf Cake

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 155

A lovely moist loaf cake with well-balanced spices and pecan nut pieces.
I tried out a gluten-free version of this cake, substituting the flour for gluten-free flour (from Doves Farm) and adding 3 tsp of potato fiber to retain the moisture and springyness. I also reduced baking time to 40 minutes, which worked well.
The cake keeps well in an airtight container for one or two days.

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Chilli non Carne

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 94

This is a great basic recipe for vegetarian Chilli and can be adapted in many different ways. My husband made this for us and added 1 tsp. paprika powder and 2 cloves crushed garlic plus some sweetcorn. Other additions could be diced red or green peppers, fresh chillies, or smoked paprika powder.
I find this is great served with a spoonful of sour cream or (plant-based) yoghurt alongside rice and a green salad.

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Pizza Bread

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 65

Pizza Bread seems to be a timeless classic for both teenagers and students and is really versatile. The children and I enjoyed some pizza bread today after returning home from cycling in the cold– just what we needed.

Variations: You can add any pizza topping you like to this basic recipe. My family loves olives, sweetcorn, red or yellow peppers, vegetarian salami or chillies.
I am also one for trying to use as little fat as possible while getting all the taste. In this recipe, I find it does not need any extra oil on the bread, and the amount of cheese used can easily be halved.

Gluten-free: We use gluten-free bread for this recipe.

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French Carrot Soup

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 55

A simple but elegant carrot soup that is lovely for a light lunch or as starter. Serve with Linda’s Corn Bread (p. 61) or with my vegan version.

Bowl with French Carrot Soup
French Carrot Soup. Photo by Almut Späth CC AT-NC license

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Baked Apples

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 153

After spending most of the weekend on the sofa trying to get rid of a cold, I felt up to some cooking on Sunday evening. The baked apples are easy to make and a great (and healty!) dessert for the whole family.
I think that using less sugar (3 or 4 teaspoons in total) is still sweet enough. Adding 1/2 tsp cinnamon gives a lovely wintery flavour. Also great when served with custard or vanilla ice cream (dairy or plant-based).

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Sausage Rolls

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 67

My daughter asked for Sausage Rolls for her birthday party. The children loved them and nobody ever noticed that the sausages were vegatarian. I cut the pastry-covered sausages in rather small pieces so the children could just take them with their hands and put them right into their mouths.

Vegan: Make sure your sausages are vegan. Omit brushing with beaten egg (the colour of the Sausage Rolls will then be lighter) or brush with some plant-based milk instead.

Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free puff pastry and make sure that the sausages are gluten-free, too.

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Egg and Cheese Salad

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 73

A recipe I would not have tried out without my goal of cooking as many recipes as possible from Linda´s book. I only made 1/3 of the original recipe, but found it was enough for three. The salad is very rich with the cheese and the sour cream and makes a meal in itself. As recommended, I served it on a bed of lettuce and surrounded it with tomatoes- a good combination.

Variations: Instead of using only sour cream, substitute half of the sour cream with plain yoghurt.

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Pasta Flageolet Soup

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 57

This soup really surprised me as it has a very creamy consistency I would not have thought possible for a soup that does not use any dairy products. The secret is blending half of the soup after the cooking time- the white beans will work the magic. Definitely a recipe to make it into my repertoire.

Gluten-free: Use gluten-free pasta. I tried some red lentil pasta in this soup but found that the lentil taste was too strong. I would recommend using gluten-free pasta made from corn flour.