Nana Mary, centre
“My Nana, Mary Crowley, comes from a little village called Ballyhooly in county Cork. She used to run a little pub and look after eleven kids, which is completely incredible. Feeding the family would always be her biggest concern. She is still the head of the family at the age of 84, after proudly raising 4 daughters and 7 sons.
Growing up in Belgium I would visit my granny’s house once or twice a year only, but I still remember the smell of freshly baked scones or the fry that would be on in the morning, with tea on the stove.
A traditional home cooked meal would be boiled tongue, with boiled vegetables and mashed potatoes. It was something that would warm up the whole house, after a rainy afternoon. Simple but yet very efficient to feed a whole family full of young, energetic growing kids. It is a dish that I would now cook myself, to remind me of the tradition and the way we were eating back then.
Chef Killian Crowley, Ireland
Feeds 4
Ingredients
2 ox tongues
4 carrots
2 leeks
1 celeriac
1 swede
3l chicken stock
10g juniper berries
For the mash
6 rooster potatoes
200g butter
400ml milk
100ml cream
Nutmeg
Method
Boiled ox tongue
In a big pot put the ox tongue and chicken stock, bring it to the boil very slowly.
While the pot reaches temperature, chop the vegetables into very big chunks.
Add them to the boiling pot, with the juniper
Leave it on a really low heat and let it seam for about 6 hours.
Mashed potatoes
Peel and cook the potatoes in boiling water.
Once cooked, mash the potatoes and add warm milk and melted butter.
Work it with a wooden spoon to get the best texture.
Season with a little salt and sprinkle of nutmeg.