5 Food Questions with Russell van Kraayenburg

Usually when I find a food blog, it’s through a recipe shared or an image pinned. Not this one. I found Chasing Delicious through the “about me” page. It’s in the form of a video of the author of the blog, Russell Van Kraayenburg, and it’s brilliant! It’s a must see and I have been hooked on the blog’s content since. It’s written with the right amount of humour, dishes up the most delicious, beautifully photographed, styled and pin worthy recipes and the site is organised to perfection, with each recipe even having the print option. It’s one fine production and I’m so honoured to have the man behind Chasing Delicious, who is currently working on a cookbook to be released early next year, answering my 5 Food Questions today.

Over to you Russell…

What would be your most memorable meal? 

It’s hard for me to pick just one. I really do live for good food, but more so the company that tends to collect around good food. I can recall just about every meal when all my extended family comes together at the end of the year to celebrate the holidays, when we all catch up on what we’ve been doing for the past year, and where we all share our new favorite recipes. For days on end we hop from one kitchen to another, snacking on appetizers, preparing big meals, testing wines and beers, sharing stories. I love it. It doesn’t stop there though, either. Weekend brunches with good friends, testing some new restaurant’s fare, spreading gossip, drinking way too many mimosas. A strange meal with a friend in a foreign country at a table shared with complete strangers who don’t speak the same language. Every time I sit down at a meal, I find myself falling in love with the company, the food, or the stories.

If you had four ingredients to cook with, what would you make?

Just give me a couple vegetables, a whole chicken, and some lemons and I’ll whip up a citrus-stuff whole-roasted chicken with roasted veggies. This happens to be my favorite meal too.

Fast or slow cooking?

My first instinct was to say slow cooking. As a born and bred Texan, I often find myself spending hours in front of a BBQ pit watching a brisket come to life. I love the flavors you can develop with a low and slow cooking method. And cooking methods aside, I love spending time in the kitchen. I’m never in a rush. I like to take my time perusing ingredients, contemplating recipes, trying different versions, and carefully constructing a dish. All that being said, it is nice being able to throw that oven up to 600°F when I’m in the mood for a couple quick homemade pizzas.

If you could prepare a meal for one person “in the spotlight” who would you like for it to be?

I know it’s a cliché, but I’d likely choose Julia Child. I think getting to cook for someone who is so passionate about food and cooking, and someone who was able to change the way an entire nation looks at food would be inspirational and a meal to remember for sure.

Good food…

is an excuse to bring friends and family together, to try something new, and to give yourself a moment to pause and reflect on the chaos of the day.

I really appreciate you taking the time during such a busy moment to answer my questions Russell – thank you!

Readers, if you haven’t done so already, make sure you pop over to Chasing Delicious to say hello and don’t forget to check out that video! You can also follow Russell on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Mel x

All images courtesy of Chasing Delicious