A new take on Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking

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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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Favourites Linda's recipes

Baked and Creamed Sweet Potatoes

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.

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Linda's recipes

Chick Pea Salad

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 72

This is a chickpea and celery salad with a mayonnaise and chives dressing. It has a very fresh taste and is best served immediately- it tends to lose its flavour when standing. Maybe one of my new favourite salads.

Again, I did reduce the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp. and added 3 tbsp. (plant-based) yoghurt to make a ligher dressing.

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Linda's recipes

Celeriac Salad

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 72

A salad made from raw celeriac roots with a mayonnaise and mustard dressing.

This was one of the recipes I was afraid to try. Too vivid were the memories of the celeriac salad my Mum would sometimes prepare for my grandfather by opening a glas of cooked, shredded celeriac and adding some dressing to it.
With this salad, I was positively surprised! I did reduce the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp. and added 3 tbsp. of (plant-based) yoghurt, which made the dressing lighter and less dominant in taste.

I got another surprise when eating the salad, though. It seems I am allergic to celeriac roots- something I did not know about before. My tongue started itching and I did not finish my salad. Maybe this was the reason I remember not liking it?

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Linda's recipes

Pasta with Herbs

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 115

A quick pasta sauce with fresh herbs and cottage cheese.

I made this pasta as a quick lunch for my daugher and myself. As we both do not like cottage cheese so much, I used cream cheese instead and reduced the amount to a total of 3tbsp. I also reduced the amount of olive oil to 1 tbsp. and added some cooking water from the pasta to make a smooth sauce.

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Linda's recipes

Raw Mushroom Marinade

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

These marinated mushrooms taste a little like Italian Antipasti but retain more of their firmness as they are not cooked. They are great on salads or with fresh crusty bread.

I would recommend adding 1 tbsp. soy sauce to the marinade to enhance the flavour.

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Linda's recipes

Cucumber Salad

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

A fresh cucumber salad with a sour cream and chives dressing.

The cucumbers are covered with salt to drain off some of the juice. I would recommend giving them a quick rinse with cold water before using them in the salad. Otherwise, too much salt will remain on the cucumbers and the salad will turn out too salty.

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Linda's recipes

Orange and Beetroot

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 140

A side dish made of boiled beetroot with an orange bechamel.
I love that the recipes in this book give you choices for all seasons- a good recipe to use some of the local beetroot I bought on the farmer’s marked today.
I did like the combination of beetroot and orange, but found the orange taste too dominant and the white sauce a bit too thick (even though I added a lot more water as it was simmering). So maybe I will try again with a thinner sauce and less orange.

Variations: As always, I tried to use less (animal) fat and replaced the butter/margarine with 2 tbsp. olive oil.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Cream of Celery Soup

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.

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Linda's recipes

Egg and Potato Salad

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

A potato salad with eggs and a mayonnaise and mustard dressing.

I made this salad to take to work with me, accompanied with some lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. A great lunch!

I did reduce the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp. and added 120ml (plant-based) yoghurt. To give it more acidity, I used 3 tbsp. of vinegar.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Aubergine Parmigiano

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.