These are the recipes my family or I liked best.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 127
A simple curry with a great taste. It is quick to make and the ingredients needed can always be found in my store cupboard- perfect if you want to make a quick, tasty dinner but want to skip going to the shops before. Serves 2 (use 1-2 eggs per person).
I used coconut oil instead of butter for a more interesting flavour.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 156
These brownies are just perfect: a flaky, crisp top layer and moist and rich underneath. Should be served when still sightly warm.
Gluten-Free: I used 30g potato flour and 30g rice flour, plus 1 tsp. psyllium husk. The brownies were delicious when fresh but turned dry on the 2nd day. They do freeze well and can be defrosted in the microwave.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 163
Delicious, short, buttery and nutty biscuits, rolled in icing sugar.
I made these to take with me on a journey through northern Germany, visiting some friends (and my sister!)- they made great gifts and just melt on your tongue. Perfect!
The biscuits kept well for a week in an airtight container; long-time testing was not possible as I could not keep them secret for any longer…
Gluten-Free: I made these cookies substituting the self-raising flour for 30g potato flour, 150g rice flour and 1 tsp. baking powder (this is more flour than in the original recipe, but the dough was very soft so extra flour was needed). I reduced to amount of sugar to 60g and we all found the biscuits to be sweet enough.
Thank you to my sister Theresa for sharing a picture of some cookies and coffee on a quiet afternoon:
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 116
As our children are staying with my parents for the week, Sebastian made me some “Penne with Vodka”. We were both surprised by the delicate flavour of this dish and had to credit this to the vodka (the other ingredients are quite plain). The sauce did not taste like alcohol at all and was lovely balanced. My husband used only 100ml of cream in the sauce, but it still was creamy and mild. Definitely a recipe to use again!
Serves 2-3 hungry people.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free penne.
Vegan: Use plant-based cream and vegan “parmesan“.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 166
A lovely old-fashioned steamed pudding with golden syrup that is easy to make and will make an impression on any dinner guest 🙂
In comparison with other recipes for steamed pudding, this recipe is lower in both sugar and fat but still tastes great. I even reduced both even more with good results (see below).
After spending the weekend with a friend and finding a 2 pint pudding basin in a shop, there was no way around this recipe. I did try a gluten-free version, which tasted great but was a little delicate and crumbly. I also reduced the golden syrup in the pudding basin’s bottom to just 1 tbsp and used only 40g of caster sugar.
I also replaced the vegetable suet with 90g melted coconut oil, giving the pudding a delicious hint of coconut flavour.
My son, who is a very picky eater, and my daughter, who usually does not like sweet dishes too much, both loved this pudding, as did my husband.
Gluten-Free: I used 80g rice flour, 20g potato flour, 20g corn flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp potato fiber instead of the self-raising flour.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 134
Lovely creamy mashed sweet potatoes with a slight roasting taste.
I had to try this recipe twice, as the potatoes took very long time to cook in the oven when I first tried. Second time, I cut them in half and baked them together with a bread I had been making- one hour was enough this time.
My daughter just loved these creamed sweet potatoes and finished off most of it by herself. A great accompaniment to a main course (with gravy!) or a light lunch when served with veg or a salad.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 53
A soup made of celery, milk and cream.
This is one of those recipes I would not have tried if I had not decided to cook all the recipes from this book. But it gave me a pleasant surprise- this soup is creamy and delicious and the celery, despite being the main ingredient, is not too dominant.
I loved the soup and will definitely make it again soon. My daughter could not get enough of it and finished all leftovers from our lunch at dinner time 🙂
I did reduce the amount of cream to 100ml but found that the soup was still incredibly creamy and just lovely.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 83
An oven-baked aubergine and tomato dish, covered with mozzarella cheese.
This is just one of the recipe that is so great you do not want to stop eating! It combines the flavours of the fried aubergine with a lovely tomato sauce, rounded off by the cheese topping.
Preparing this dish on a cold day in early February, I wanted to make it a little more filling and warming by adding some veggie-mince to the tomato sauce. A great addition!
Leftovers (if there are any!) are a great lunch to take to work the next day. Just as good reheated as straight from the oven.
Gluten-free: Just replace the flour by gluten-free flour, e.g. rice flour.
Vegan: Substitute the mozzarella cheese for some vegan melty cheese.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 89
A lovely stew with a lot of flavour! It is a typical “meat dish” that is almost like a goulash and will please meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.
A “beef bourguignon” is a French beef stew with carrots and mushrooms, braised in red wine- this is a great vegetarian variation (I just wonder if it is misspelled with the additional “ne” at the end…).
I find it is important to use a good quality red wine for this recipe and to take the time to simmer the stew for 40 minutes to develop the flavours. If you would like to have a more goulash-like dish, try adding some cubed red or green peppers (which I did as there was one left that needed using up).
Using TVP chunks gives a more meat-like feeling to this dish and the consistency of the TVP complements the sauce very well.
Gluten-Free: Just replace the flour with gluten-free flour, e.g. corn flour.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 117
A perfect quiche with cheese and onion.
This quiche is one of the big surprises hidden in the book. The consistency is just so fluffy and light that it is almost like a souflée. It is very rich and satisfying and the cheese and onion is a great combination. Perfect with a salad!
I think it is best to let it cool to room temperature before serving so it can set a little. Straight from the oven, it is too soft to take out of the pie dish. Leftovers (if there are any!) are a perfect lunch the next day.