Planting an orto or garden in Italy last spring was delightful; sampling the results was delicious; but having an award-winning tomato was divine. In fact, the neighboring farmers were scratching their heads.
Our prize tomato, a Cuor di Bue, weighed in at nearly 2.2 pounds or about 1 kilogram!
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It was so heavy it actually broke the branch during a storm, but fortunately, it had a soft landing and remained unbruised.
©Blogginginitaly.com Cuor di Bue
We let it ripen another two days out of the sun.
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©Blogginginitaly.com
You might recognize this tomato as a Beefsteak variety. Its name, Cuor di Bue, literally means heart of an ox because of its distinctive shape. It matures late and when ripe, has an orangey-red color.
Now for the tasting. The team consisted of Fernanda, who selected the plant from the nursery last April, Len and Carlo, who planted it, and yours truly, documenting everything.
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Since the normal weight for this tomato is about 7-8 ounces, and ours weighed 2.2 POUNDS, I was a bit concerned that such a large tomato might not taste great, but then this is Italy, the land that loves its tomatoes.
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And the result?…Perfect!
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It even had few seeds, which I have since learned can make a tomato more acidic.
Cuor di Bue are ideal for eating with fresh mozzarella and basil, as we did. Our tomato produced four extra-large steaks.
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©Blogginginitaly.com
Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper, and enjoy!
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Divine!
Ciao,
Judy
Blogging In Italy 
So how did it actually taste? I know if you get lobsters that are too big, the flavor gets lost. Same for tomatoes?
Vincent J. Connelly
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Not at all for these. Our friends never had a doubt and they were right. It was quite tasty!
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Aloha Judy,
I just returned from Chicago to read your orto prize tomato blog. Now I must go to my favorite Italian restaurant this evening and enjoy as close as I can get in Honolulu to your mouth watering photos.
For some reason I stop receiving your blog notices but happily Friar Chuck helped me re-connect. Please keep them coming.
My Best to Len, he looks very happy and why not!!!
Charles
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Charles, saw your Chicago photos and glad you and Carlo had fun! Also happy to have you back on board. Missed your comments! Len sends his best also.
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Oh gosh, every spring the farm around the corner has “Tomatomania” where they sell hundreds of varieties of seedlings. I’m definitely looking for this one!
A farm around the corner? In urban LA? Well… just because!
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We have those in Chicago too – a farm in the zoo, and, why not – perche no? Look forward to seeing our results!
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Ha, ha! Wonderful! I especially like the picture with the measuring tape.
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And I was so glad their scale had pounds as well as kilos!
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Yes, doing the math can be a pain, especially when they start referring to how many “etti.” I’m visiting a friend in Switzerland at the moment. There’s a thermometer in the house that has numbers down both sides – both centigrade!
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Wow, that is one huge tomato and exactly how I would serve it up! 🙂
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No other way, right??
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Unbelievable!
Well documented
Thank you
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You should plant an orto next spring!
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