Steak from beef tomatoes

I would never eat a steak tartare: raw meat with raw egg yolk ... but I will gladly make an exception for the "steak tartare" from master chef Edwin Vinke, who uses beef tomatoes from Nature & More grower Frank de Koning and shrimps to create an exact look-alike. Frank's tomatoes go to several Michelin restaurants in the Netherlands but you can buy them in the supermarket as well.

Steak tartare is a classic unhealthy dish: raw chopped beefsteak with an egg yolk on top. Master chef Edwin Vinke, who owns a 2-Michelin-star restaurant in the southwestern tip of the Netherlands, gave it his own special twist: his “steak” is made from beef tomatoes, his “egg yolk” from shrimps. Yet the looks and structure are just like a real steak tartare. This delicate and healthy dish was originally invented in the world famous El Bulli restaurant in Catalonia and is actually very difficult to create.  

Edwin Vinke, who was chosen Chef of the year 2011 in the Netherlands, had to search for a while before he had found the tomatoes that were just right. And guess what … he found them at Nature & More grower Frank de Koning. Frank is the only Dutch organic grower of beefsteak tomatoes. He also cultivates Wild Wonder heirloom tomatoes; these small colourful tomatoes go to Michelin-star restaurants too, like restaurant Oud Sluis (3 stars) in the same part of the country.
Frank attributes the quality of his tomatoes to his growing method: “Organic cultivation gives me a better taste. It’s more fun to grow in the soil and use compost and natural means, in stead of rock wool and chemical inputs.”
The greatest thing about Franks star tomatoes is that you can also buy them in health food stores and supermarkets all over Europe. You can find out more about Frank with grower code 179 on www.natureandmore.com.