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

Guacamole

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 64

This guacamole is really addictive and combines fresh avocado with the slightly sour flavour of tinned chillies. It is great to accompany mexican food such as tacos or fajitas, and also makes an excellent dip for crudités.

Variations: For a change, try using some finely chopped fresh chillies instead of the tinned ones (to taste) and adding 2 tablespoons of yogurt (or soy yogurt) for a fresher taste.

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Linda's recipes

Scrambled Eggs

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

A straightforward recipe for Scrambled Eggs. A classic that is always welcome for a relaxed breakfast.

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Linda's recipes

Cheese and Caper Dip

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 61

A fresh dip, great accompanied with crudités, bread sticks or corn chips.

Variations: For people who like a smoother dip, try using cream cheese instead of cottage cheese. Yogurt can substitute the sour cream, and quark the cottage cheese for a lighter version.
sic recipe (without the capers and caraway seeds) can be used as a basis for a variety of other dips. Why not try a dried tomato dip (add 8 chopped, dried tomatoes and a tablespoon chopped basil leaves), an olive dip (add 12 chopped green or black olives and 1 teaspoon dried herbes de provence), or an onion dip (do not add any uncooked onions, but brown 2 chopped onions in a little olive oil, leave to cool slightly and add to the basic recipe)?

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Beefless Stew

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 86

Plate with Beefless Stew
Beefless Stew. Photo by Almut Späth CC AT-NC license

This stew became an instant favourite of my daughter- she just did not stop eating…
It is a great recipe for preparing in advance and re-heating when needed.

I used soy steaks from vantastic foods. In Germany, smaller TVP chunks are also available from Alnatura.

Variations: To give this dish more flavour, try using vegetarian worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce, and add 1/2 a chopped and deseeded chilli and 3 tablespoons tomato puree.

Gluten- free: If you want a gluten-free meal, check that the TVP chunks or burgers you are using are are gluten-free.

Vegan: The stew is vegan if you use margarine or vegetable oil instead of butter.

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Heather’s Lemon Pudding Cake

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 161

A surprisingly fresh and interesting cake, and a creative (and low-fat) version of a traditional cheesecake.

Serve chilled as a desert or at room temperature alongside a cup of tea or coffee.

When baking the cake as in the recipe, it was still very runny at the bottom. Increase the baking time to one hour but reduce the temperature to 180°C to avoid the cake getting too dark on the top.

Gluten-free: Substitute the flour for the same amount gluten-free self-raising flour.

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Potato Torte á la Faranto

From Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 117

Linda recommends serving this piping hot- which tastes great. I tried taking leftovers to work with me and it was also good as a cold lunch. The Potato Torte was not quite set when it came out of the oven but was perfect when cooled.
The recipe starts with pre-heating the oven, which is too early as you have to cook the potatoes for at least 20 minutes. Start pre-heating as soon as the potatoes are soft.
I needed to bake my potato shell for 20-25 minutes as it was still very soft after 15 minutes.

Gluten-free: Use gluten-free flour (e.g. from Doves Farm)

Vegan: Substitute the mozzarella and parmesan for vegan cheese.

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Linda's recipes

Potato and Carrot Bortsch

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

If you like warming soups and love beetroots, this is the recipe for you.
Linda McCartney suggests eating this hot or cold, but I have to admit that a cold beetroot and cabbage soup is something you have to get used to – maybe stick to the hot version for a start 😉

It is great served with some crusty buttered bread on a cold day!

Vegan: Use soya or oat cream instead of the cream and add 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar to the soup. To serve, place a dollop of soy yogurt into each serving bowl and ladle the soup on top.

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Apple Sauce Cake

From: Linda McCartney´s Home Cooking, p. 152

The Apple Sauce Cake is very rich and has a lovely taste of spices. It is a perfect autumn or winter cake and makes a great desert when served warm with vanilla ice cream. Also good when served at room temperature with a cup of tea.

Plate with Apple Sauce Cake
Apple Sauce Cake. Photo by Almut Späth CC AT-NC license

This cake freezes well. Defrost and warm in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.

Gluten-free: Use same amount of gluten-free flour mix (e.g. “Freee plain white flour” from Doves Farm) and add 2 teaspoons of potato fibre or 1 teaspoon of psyllium husks.

Vegan: Use margarine instead of butter and replace the egg with 1 tablespoon flaxmeal and 3 tablespoons water (to be mixed with the flour).

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Baked Custard

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

This baked custard makes a very special desert for a dinner party, especially when cooking and serving in small individual ovenproof dishes. It is very easy to make and requires no attention in the last 60 minutes ‒ perfect when entertaining guests.
I think it is best served warm, accompanied with some seasonal berries or fruit, but it is also nice when served chilled.

Bowl with Baked custard
Baked custard. Photo by Almut Späth CC AT-NC license

To add even more glamour to this easy-to-make dish, cover with brown sugar after removing from the oven, and put under the grill until the sugar has caramelized. An extremely quick version of cremé brulée ‒ and it is also much lower in calories than the original dish (which uses a lot of cream).

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Aubergine and Pasta

Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 84

This oven-bake is a great meal for the whole family on cold autumn days. I recommend using 4 tbsp. tomato paste and 100ml of water in addition to the tinned tomatoes. This will give you more sauce and tomato flavour and the dish will be nice and moist.

Plate with Maccaroni and Aubergine dish
Aubergine and Pasta, Photo by Almut Spaeth

For a gluten-free option, chose gluten-free maccaroni. For a vegan version, try using vegan “cheese” slices instead of the mozzarella and sprinkle some home-made vegan “parmesan” on top. You can find a recipe for vegan “parmesan” here.