Tag: gluten-free

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Linda's recipes

Sauerkraut

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

I was very surprised to see a recipe for making your own sauerkraut in the book. Upon second glance, I noticed that the cabbage is not fermented here, but salted and pickled instead. I was curious and tried it out- and later surprised because it did work really well. And as a German I suppose I have something to say about sauerkraut 🙂

The sauerkraut tastes fresh and retains its crunch, the spices are well balanced and aromatic.
I decided to strain the spiced vinegar before pouring into the jars with the sauerkraut, which worked great. The amount of spiced vinegar was far too much for my sauerkraut, so I kept the remaining vinegar in a bottle in the fridge and used it for salad dressings. Would also make a great gift for another foodie…
As the recipe does not specify how long the sauerkraut has to mature before using, I tried the first batch after about two weeks and the second batch after 5 weeks. From week 2 to week 5, it had not changed much in taste or consistency and was very nice. After draining from the jar, the sauerkraut was still very salty, so I did rinse it with cold water.

Another try with a remaining jar of Sauerkraut, 9 weeks after I had made it showed that it does not keep well for that long. The Sauerkraut had turned greyish and had developed an unpleasant taste.

I tried the sauerkraut in these recipes: Sauerkraut and Veggy Dogs, and Maine Sauerkraut.

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Linda's recipes

Ghivetch Casserole

From Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 100

The name of this recipe caught my eye, as did the great variety of vegetables used in this dish. The vegetables are sautèed and then stewed with a tomato sauce in a casserole dish.

The origin of this dish seems to be unclear and similar dishes are known in many countries. Ghivetch is mostly ascribed as a Bulgarian recipe and sometimes meat or yoghurt is added to the casserole.

Linda’s Ghivetch Casserole is very colourful as it contains such a variety of vegetables. I served it with pasta, which was a good combination.

Variations: Despite all the different veg, I think the Casserole needs more seasoning to bring out the flavour a bit better. I would suggest adding some paprika powder and a little chilli. I would also omit the green peas as they turn hard when cooked for too long.
Leftovers can be reheated and taste at least as good as straight from the oven.

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Linda's recipes

Stuffed Peppers

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking p. 126

This is a recipe for peppers, stuffed with rice, TVP mince and tomato sauce, and baked in the oven.

A few days ago, when discussing what to eat on the weekend, my husband mentioned that he would love to have some Stuffed Peppers- a dish he knows from meals at his grandfather’s. As with many dishes we both know from our families, there was of course a recipe for Stuffed Peppers in Linda’s cookbook. And one more reason to prepare Stuffed Peppers.
My husband prepared the peppers and they were just delicious. Definitely a recipe we will ask him to use again 🙂 .

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Linda's recipes

Garlic Dressing

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

Another great basic recipe everybody should know. The garlic dressing has a well-balanced taste and is easy to make. I used a hand-held blender to blend all the ingredients (you don’t even have to crush the garlic when using a blender) and the consistency of the dressing was very creamy and smooth. Usually, I make up salad dressings as I go, but in this case it was worth sticking to the recipe to get the balance right. Or, as my brother-in-law would say “following a recipe gives you a better result” (a statement I normally disagree with as I tend to use whatever there is in the fridge or larder and create meals on the go).

Variations: You can add all different flavours to the dressing, such as fresh herbs, capers, chopped shallot, chopped olives or dried tomatoes or… Endless variations!

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Linda's recipes

Breaded Broccoli

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 134

This is a recipe for steamed broccoli, served with toasted and seasoned breadcrumbs. Drizzling the broccoli with some lemon juice before serving adds another taste dimension to this dish ‒ something I would not have thought of in the first place.
My husband thinks that green beans always need to be served with toasted breadcrumbs. It was something his grandfather would cook when the family visited for dinner. My grandmother also loved toasted breadcrumbs, usually combining them with steamed cauliflower.

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Favourites Linda's recipes

Curried Lentils

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 97

This is another very easy recipe that uses only few ingredients but has a great flavour with a twist. I think the lemon rind really adds a fresh and special touch to this dish.
Today, we had the Curried Lentils with Breaded Broccoli and potatoes, but it will also be great served with rice, steamed vegetables and naan bread.

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Linda's recipes

Swiss Fondue

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 127

Having lived in Switzerland for nearly 13 years, this recipe appeared less “exotic” to us than Linda McCartney suggested in her book. Eating Fondue on New Year’s Eve has something of a tradition in my family. We love to sit around a big table, dipping bread and vegetables into the cheese, telling stories and sharing laughs. Perfect to spend time on the last day of the year. This year, we had Swiss Fondue with my brother and his family. Afterwards we went for a walk through the woods to welcome the New Year and watch the fireworks from a tower on a hill.

Variations: A friend taught me to add 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the fondue. This adds a lovely colour and an interesting twist. The white wine can be replaced (partly or completley) with vegetable stock. The cheese melts better when using wine only, but it works quite well with stock, too.
Swiss friends taught us to add 2 tbsp of Kirsch to the Fondue and to rub the inside of the fondue dish with a clove of garlic. Kirsch is also the traditional drink to go with Fondue in Switzerland.
Using corn or potato starch instead of the flour gives a smoother consistency.

In Switzerland, the land of cheese, there are even restaurant serving nothing else than fondue! My husband invited me to a Fondue Restaurant in St.Gallen for one of our first ever dates. It was hard to choose between traditional fondue, fondue with curry and pineapple and chilli fondue. But to be honest, the version with just cheese and garlic is still my favourite.

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Linda's recipes

German Potato Salad

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

As a tradition, my family always eats potato salad and sausages on Christmas Eve. It is a meal that can be prepared in advance and is ready whenever a meal is needed in between all the preparations for Christmas. There really was no other option than to try Linda’s “German” Potato Salad this year 😉 I do not know what makes this salad typical German, but I must admit that it is very similar to the potato salad my Mum taught me to make. As I usually prefer lighter dishes with less sour cream, I substituted the sour cream with yoghurt. For a fresher taste, I recommend adding some diced gherkins and two chopped shallots.

Vegan: Substitute the sour cream for plant-based yoghurt and make sure your mayonnaise is vegan, too.

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Linda's recipes

Chilli non Carne

From: Linda McCartney’s Home Cooking, p. 94

This is a great basic recipe for vegetarian Chilli and can be adapted in many different ways. My husband made this for us and added 1 tsp. paprika powder and 2 cloves crushed garlic plus some sweetcorn. Other additions could be diced red or green peppers, fresh chillies, or smoked paprika powder.
I find this is great served with a spoonful of sour cream or (plant-based) yoghurt alongside rice and a green salad.

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Almut's recipes

Corn Bread

This vegan corn bread is inspired by Linda McCartney’s Corn Bread from her book “Home Cooking”. Corn bread can be served hot or cold and is great with soups, salads or Chilli Non Carne.

Bowl with French Carrot Soup
Corn Bread. Photo by Almut Späth CC AT-NC license

Ingredients:
55g gluten-free flour (e.g. Doves Farm)
125g corn meal
100g fine polenta
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
150g silken tofu
360ml soya milk
55ml olive oil

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20cm square baking tin or a round 20 cm baking tin. Mix the flour, corn meal, polenta, salt, sugar, baking powder, nutritional yeast and the chilli in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Blend the silken tofu, milk and oil using a stick blender or blender, and add to the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly.
Pour into the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, take out of the tin and serve or leave to cool on a rack.

This bread freezes well. Slice and separate the slices with pieces of greaseproof paper before putting in a freezer safe container. Now you can defrost as many slices as needed – just put them in the microwave for a few seconds and serve immediately.