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

Fried Rice

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 99

A recipe for fried rice with celery, onion, mushrooms and eggs.

This is an ideal recipe to use up any left-over rice. I think adding some spices such as chilli and curry powder or curry paste gives a more interesting flavour- otherwise the dish is quite plain. It is nice served with some steamed vegetables and maybe fried tofu cubes.

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Linda's recipes

Italian Burgers

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 103

An oven-baked dish with burgers covered in tomato sauce with olives and mozzarella cheese.

Despite so many recipes in Linda’s book using burgers, this one was a real favourite for my family. It has a lot of flavour and is very satisfying yet not too heavy.

I did use home-made black bean burgers for this recipe. They tasted great but desintegrated during baking time.

Gluten-Free: Make sure the burgers you are using are gluten-free.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Sweetcorn Noodle Soup

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 58

An unusual combination of fresh sweetcorn, noodle and egg – and really delicious and quick to make. A new family favourite!

If you do not have fresh sweetcorn, try to use frozen and not tinned. The frozen sweetcorn tastes nearly as good as the fresh sweetcorn and does not have this “tinned” flavour.

Gluten-free: Make sure the noodles you use are gluten-free. I find it best here to use noodles that do not have a strong taste of their own, as do noodles made from beans, chickpeas or lentils. Rice or corn noodles work really well (not surprising, given that it is a sweetcorn soup 🙂 ).

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Linda's recipes

Sour Cream, Paprika and Mushrooms

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 121

Fried mushrooms in sour cream, flavoured with onion, garlic and paprika.

This recipe is very similar to a dish I used to make a lot when I was at university. It is quick, simple and delicious served with pasta or rice and a salad.

I think the amount of sour cream used in this recipe can easily be halved, and could also be substituted by cream cheese.

For a vegan version, use plant-based cream and some lemon juice instead of sour cream.

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Linda's recipes

Cheddar Cheese Pie

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 92

A hearty cheese and onion pie- lovely hot or cold.

As always, I tried to reduce the amount of dairy used. Substituting the cream for plant-based cream and using only half of the cheese produced a pie full of flavour but a little lighter than the original. I also used two onions for the fillling.

Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pastry, e.g. my shortcrust pastry recipe.

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Linda's recipes

Hot Mozzarella Sandwich

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 103

Fried mozzarella-filled bread, coated in beaten egg and milk.

This recipe is like a filled, savoury french-bread and is great comforting food on a cold evening when you are tired from your day. And it is also very quick to make.
When I tried out this recipe, my husband was busy repairing the roof of our garden shed and did not have time to come inside for dinner (it was about to turn dark and he really wanted to finish it that day). So I had to climb up the ladder to take a hot mozzarella sandwich up to the roof. My husband had a quick picknick up there and loved the sandwich!

Gluten-free: Works well with gluten-free bread.

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Linda's recipes

Cheddar Cheese Bake

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 92

This is a very rich oven dish consiting of cheese, milk, eggs and cream.
I decided not to try this one out but go for the Cheese Souflé on page 94, which has basically the same ingredients but is much lighter.

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Linda's recipes

French Baked Eggs

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 99

Eggs cooked in tomato shells, topped with parmesan.

These French Baked Eggs look great, are easy to make and use ingredients which can normally be found in my kitchen. They are perfect for a lunch with friends alongside a salad and some crusty bread.

I used large tomatoes which turned quite soft when baking and sagged to one side. Some tomatoes even split open during baking time, and the runny egg spread onto the baking dish. To avoid this it is best to place the tomatoes as close together as possible (use a small baking dish or put all tomatoes to one side). And be careful not to damage the tomato shell when scooping out the pulp.

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Linda's recipes

Stuffed an Broiled Mushrooms

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 125

Grilled mushrooms filled with a TVP and onion stuffing.

My husband made these stuffed mushrooms for us and we enjoyed them. However, the stuffing was a little too plain and the TVP remained crumbly. Adding some (vegan) cream cheese or a tomato paste would be a good addition.

Vegan: Use plant-based cream.

Gluten-free: Make sure the breadcrumbs you use are gluten-free.

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Linda's recipes

Asparagus and Egg Casserole

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 80

Asparagus, covered with white sauce, hard-boiled eggs and cheese.

This is a very creamy and rich asparagus dish for special occasions. The eggs balance the slight bitterness of the asparagus well. Serve with new potatoes.

Variations: Using half of the butter is still enough to make a creamy white sauce.

Gluten-free: Use the same amount of rice flour.