From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 150
A good and simple tomato sauce even my son would eat. It makes a great difference to take the time to simmer the sauce for at least an hour- the flavours will develop nicely and the acidity of the tomatoes disappears.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 96
A light and fluffy soufflé with corn. It is a surprisingly easy-to-make and impressive dish for lunch with friends or served in individual ramekins as a starter for a dinner party. Serve with a salad.
When I tried this out, the Soufflé was still runny at the bottom of the dish after 30 minutes, but set beautifully after 40 minutes.
It is important to serve the Soufflé straight from the oven as it rises during baking time and will collapse as soon as it is comes out of the oven. To avoid collapsing during baking, do not open the oven door before the end of the baking time.
Gluten-Free: I used gluten-free four (e.g.rice flour), which worked well.
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 65
A recipe for a plain omelette that can be filled with various fillings- a quick and easy lunch. Serve with a salad.
My husband was feeling a little hungry tonight and decided to make himself some scrambled eggs. My suggestion to try omelette instead was met with the confession that he had never made an omelette before. A few minutes later, the omelette was on his and my daughter´s plates and he was confident that he could now master this as well. Our daughter loved the omelette (with a cheese filling) and complained that it was not enough…
From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 105
This sauerkraut-recipe combines grated raw potato with sauerkraut and simmers it for an hour to give a very balanced and mild taste. A surprising combination is the addition of sliced apple, which blends in well with the other ingredients.
I did omit the TVP chunks but added some veggy hot dog slices to the sauerkraut 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
I used the home-made sauerkraut and gave it a rinse with cold water after draining off the vinegar to avoid a too salty taste.
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. 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.
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.
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. 67
This is a delicious and quick dip combining the flavours of refried beans with chillies and cheese. Great served as part of a Mexican feast with tortilla chips and a big salad. A fruity Margarita would also go well with it…