recipes

While some Food Network fans might think Ingrid Hoffman is a newer sensation, she’s anything but new on the scene. While she now regularly adds bursts of flavor to the Food Network on her show, Simply Delicioso, this Columbian-American success story also has the Spanish-language show Delicioso on Univision (and fact: she stared in 16 telanovelas by age 20!). She has popular cookbooks, and now a cookwear line with T-fal. Oh, and I cannot get over how amazing this woman’s skin — and bod! — is for being 45+. She’s totally gorgeous, and you can tell it’s not just on the outside… she radiates.

I was honored to get a few minutes to talk to this talented, smart, grounded star recently at the Red Hot Night, presented by Target, during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Check out her responses to our six questions…who else is dying for a pressure cooker after this post??

TAGG: What ingredients do you keep in stock in the fridge or pantry to create dinner fast?
Ingrid Hoffman: Avocado, cilantro, eggs, and dry beans of every kind.

TAGG: What can the average girl create and look like a rockstar (but secret: it’s not complicated!)?
IH: Bouillabaisse in a pressure cooker. My pressure cooker, Betty, which she affectionally calls her red-hot cooker, makes food from scratch in minutes, instead of hours. Unlike a slow cooker where you need to think in the morning or night before what you’re making this has no prep. Who wants to worry the night before about what’s for dinner? For the bouillabaisse, get frozen seafood, coconut milk, broth, garlic, herbs. throw it in, and in six minutes… done! No prep needed. {TAGG tip: Ingrid’s cooker is currently only available in a larger size; for smaller, highly recommend this}

TAGG: You’ve accomplished so much in the past 10 years… shows, cookbooks, more! What makes you most proud?
IH: When it comes to work, I’m most proud of my cookbooks. It’s the hardest thing I do and it’s where my passion lies. I like television but to me, it’s a means to an end in order to share, to ultimately sell cookbooks. My soul is in cookbooks.

TAGG: I recently read about your kitchen remodel on your 15-year old residence. It’s gorgeous (and not huge like I expected it to be). Any wise words to help the average girl best utilize her space?
IH: Before you make any changes, sit down and think about how you use your space. Mimic your moves. If you’re going to reach for gadgets, where are they? Consider how you can build out – and build up. Even though my space is fairly small I can still cook for a lot of people.

TAGG: What’s your new favorite food of the most? How do you use it?
Quinoa. It’s so versatile. I use it for salads, soups and instead of pasta with clams and wine. I use it as oatmeal with bananas and blueberries in the morning, and instead of rice with paella.
{she wasn’t joking about using it with everything!} 

TAGG: anything else you’d like to share with the average – yet fabulous! – girl?
IH: If I can do it, you can do it. I started to realize with others, ‘heck, if they can do it, why can’t I?’ I’m clumsy, have ADHD and didn’t study culinary at school and I’m not classically trained. If you set your mind to it, make it your passion, you can do it.

pssst… apologies for the ultra-grainy iPhone photo but I mean is Ingrid gorgeous or what?! Love her Prabal Gurung for Target suit, too!

{image}

{ 3 comments }