Blush Fact:

The town of Buñol, Spain, annually celebrates La Tomatina, a festival centred on an enormous tomato flight. Tens of thousands of Spaniards & curious tourists gather to throw 115,000kg of tomatoes at each other.

Cindy Sargon

Biography

Cindy Sargon – Celebrity Gourmet

“With their sweet decadent flavour and rich herbal aroma, Blush tomatoes are simply divine”.

Cindy Sargon, Celebrity Gourmet

Cindy Sargon is no stranger to either the TV screen or a well-equipped kitchen and, more often than not, she is combining the two whilst indulging her great passion for food — a passion she developed at a young age, which has only intensified through her working life.

Not only a popular TV personality, Cindy is co-owner of Alligator Brand, a food business established in 1993 to supply high-quality pasta to caterers, delis, restaurants and airlines. Alligator aims to supply a gourmet product every bit as good as the pasta that chefs create by hand in their own kitchens, and the business was the sole provider of pasta to the Athletes’ Village at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Since 1990, Cindy has built a devoted following as a celebrity gourmet, appearing on numerous cooking shows on both pay TV and free-to-air. She has appeared on Surprise Chef, as a celebrity judge on My Restaurant Rules, as the host of Saturday Kitchen, Melbourne Woman, and Channel 7’s Food for Life.

Cindy’s philosophy on food is as pure as her passion for quality products. “Keep it simple and always choose the best and freshest ingredients”.

That is why Cindy chooses Blush premium truss tomatoes. “With their sweet decadent flavour and rich herbal aroma Blush tomatoes are simply divine. Added to pasta or enjoyed purely as they are, Blush tomatoes have that true traditional home grown flavour that makes dishes come to life. And because they’re vine ripened I know that they’re highly nutritious, which as a mother, is something that’s very important to me”.

‘Deliciously Australian Truss Tomatoes – Cindy Sargon,’ advertisment.

Cindy’s Recipes

Blush Tomatoes and Feta Bruschetta

  • 1 sourdough or casalinga loaf of bread
  • 3–4 Blush tomatoes
  • Soft goat’s cheese
  • Sherry vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parsley

Slice bread, brush with olive oil and rub with a garlic clove, then bbq or grill.

Deseed Blush tomatoes and chop finely. Add salt and pepper, a dash of sherry vinegar and olive oil to taste.

Spread grilled bread with goats cheese and spoon tomato on top. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Blush Tomato and Mozzarella Stack

  • 3 Graffiti eggplants cut into approx 1cm rounds
  • 4 Blush tomatoes cut into approx 1cm slices
  • 2 large buffalo mozzarella sliced approx 1cm thick
  • Good quality pesto
  • Salt and pepper

Sprinkle Graffiti eggplant with salt and oil, grill or bbq on both sides until cooked and drain on absorbent paper.

Slice Blush tomatoes approx 1cm thick.

Cut Buffalo mozzarella into thick slices, also approx 1cm.

Layer on individual serving plates starting with tomato, then mozzarella, spread with a little pesto, then eggplant. Repeat stack and finish with mozzarella, a generous drizzle of pesto and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Roasted Blush Tomato and Fettuccine with Prawns

  • Olive oil
  • 2 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 small finely chopped onion
  • 12 cleaned green prawns
  • ½ cup White vermouth (or white wine if you prefer)
  • Tarragon
  • 4 Blush tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 400g fettuccine pasta

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Place blush tomatoes in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for approx 15–20 minutes until soft.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.

In a frypan heat olive oil and cook garlic and onion until golden. Add prawns, and when they start to turn white, remove and keep warm. Return pan to heat, add Vermouth and cook until liquid reduces by half.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, following packet instructions, until al dente.

Return prawns to pan, add tarragon and salt and pepper. Drain pasta and toss through prawns. Serve individually and on top of each dish place a roasted Blush tomato which has been cut to allow juices to flow into pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper.

Tomato Gratin

  • 4 Blush tomatoes, halved
  • Olive oil
  • 100gm fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 small finely chopped onion
  • 4 anchovy fillets (halved)
  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cut tops of tomatoes and using a spoon, scoop out tomato seeds and a little flesh.

Sprinkle with a little salt and leave upside down on absorbent paper to drain (about an hour).

Heat oven to 150 degrees.

In a pan heat some olive oil and add half the breadcrumbs, cook until golden brown, remove and set aside.

Return pan to heat with a little more oil and cook onion until soft. Add anchovies, a generous handful of parsley and mix together, remove from heat and add fried breadcrumbs.

Fill tomato halves with mixture, place in an oiled baking dish, sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil and cook for approx 40 minutes until golden.