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

Madras Onion Curry

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 105

A curry with TVP chunks, onion and apple with sweet onions and sweet and sour apple.

Variations: I used cubed tofu instead of TVP chunks. Adding some more vegetables, such as cubed carrots or courgettes would make this dish more interesting and also more substantial.

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Linda's recipes

Noodles and Garlic

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 113

A quick and easy recipe for pasta with olive oil and garlic, also known as “aglio e olio” in Italy.

It is important to sauté the garlic very gently in the olive oil to avoid browning as this will give the sauce a burnt taste.

Vegan: Omit the parmesan or use vegan “parmesan” instead.

Gluten-Free: Make sure your pasta is gluten-free.

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Linda's recipes

Garlic Herb Sauce

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

A quick and tasty pasta sauce, known in Italy as “aglio e olio”.

Feel free to use as much or little olive oil as you like; personally I prefer using a lot less than Linda suggests (just about 3 tbsp), but others just love having a lot of oil with their pasta.

Serve with pasta and a big salad.

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Linda's recipes

Fresh Herb Dip

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 145

A herby dip with cream cheese and sour cream.

This dip is very easy to make and creamy and delicious. I tried a lighter version and substituted all of the cream cheese for quark. If you are really looking for a low-fat dip, use plain yoghurt instead of the sour cream. The dip will be slightly less creamy and have a less intense taste (after all, fat is a great flavour enhancer), but will be light and fresh. Use any herbs that are growing on your window sill, or use frozen or dried herbs. When using dried herbs, allow the dip to stand for at least 30 minutes so that the flavour can develop and the herbs have time to soften.

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Linda's recipes

Welsh Rarebit

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 69

Cooking all of the recipes in Linda’s book is a great for getting to know recipes you would otherwise not come across as a German.
For somebody who has lived in Switzerland for quite some time, like me, Welsh Rarebit is very similar to a cheese fondue- a flavoured sauce made of melted cheese, eaten with bread.

We found this recipe to be great for a quick lunch for hungry people in winter. Just imagine being outside skiing in the morning and returning to your home to warm up and enjoy some Rarebit for lunch…Perfect!

Serves 3 or 4.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Ratatouille

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 117

A great recipe for a classic ratatouille.

After watching the film “Ratatouille” about a cooking gourmet rat, it was easy to decide what to cook today.
Linda’s recipe is straightforward and gives an easy method to steam or slow-cook the veg in its own juice. I think there is no need to deseed the tomatoes; instead I would use the seeds and the juice of the tomatoes as fluid to help start the steaming process.
It is important to cut the aubergine (no need to peel the aubergine!) and the courgette in rounds and layer them over the mushroom and pepper mix. There is no stirring involved during the whole cooking process.
Another very simple and delicious dish that will impress dinner guests!

Serve with tagliatelle or new potatoes.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Mexican Corn Pudding

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 108

A light corn dish, baked in the oven, that is almost like a soufflé but does not contain any flour andjust two eggs. It rises a little like a soufflé and keeps the moisture inside like a creamy sauce. Lovely with a salad or green veg!

The recipe states that the baking dish should be placed inside a water-filled dish when baking. However, it is not clear if the water needs to be hot or cold. I chose hot water and think that this speeds up the baking process a little. Still, the maximum baking time of 40 minutes was still needed.

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Linda's recipes

Green Bean Savoury

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 137

Green beans with onion, garlic, celery and herbs, topped with parmesan cheese.

A great way to make green beans more interesting and also more tasty! Great served with rice, a quiche or Mexican Corn Pudding (p. 108 in Linda’s book).

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Linda's recipes

Rice and Vegetables in Wine

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 119

A veg rice, boiled in vegetable stock and wine.

This rice has a lovely, sublte flavour and is great as an accompaniment to a salad or even a quiche.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 164

A fluffy pineapple cake baked upside-down like a Tarte Tatin, with lovely buttery caramel on top. It can also be made with other fruit, such as pears, peaches or apples.

This recipe is another one of my surprising finds in Linda’s book. It is very easy to make with ingredients that are always in my fridge or store cupboard. Yet it tastes fantastic and looks so impressive!

I tried a gluten-free version, using 115g plain gluten-free flour (from Doves Farm) and 1 tsp. baking powder. The result was a soft and fluffy batter- just perfect!

I also reduced the amount of butter to 80g (and I think that in this recipe, it has to be butter and not margarine to give the cake this lovely buttery caramel flavour), and only used 80g of brown sugar for the caramel and 60g caster sugar for the batter. As the batter was quite dry, I also added 3 tbsp milk.

In my first attempt, I used a ceramic pie dish for this cake but found out that the dish does not get hot enough at the bottom to produce the caramel and to bake the dough sufficiently in the baking time. I think the pie dish’s bottom was too thick to let the heat come through well.
As I loved the cake so much, I turned to the internet (no shops open due to the corona restricitions) and found a heavy baking tin- perfect for making upside-down cake.

I also used tinned pears (as suggested by Linda) but could taste the “tin taste” in the cake. For this recipe, you should definitely use fresh fruit- the extra trouble in slicing and peeling the fruit will be well worth in the end.
A cake I will certainly make again!