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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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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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 