Teltower Rubchen, Brandenburg Glazed Turnips
Teltower Rubchen are small, knobbly turnips grown in the sandy soil south of Berlin, prized since Prussian times for a sweetness and nuttiness that ordinary turnips lack. The classic Brandenburg preparation glazes them in butter and sugar with stock and a little flour, a rich court-kitchen treatment. This version keeps the sweet-savory glaze but builds it honestly: a single blended date sweetens the braising stock, the turnips reduce that liquid down to a clinging syrup with no butter, and mustard and vinegar at the end give the sharp edge that keeps the plate from going flat. Common globe turnips work well when the real Teltower kind is out of reach. It is a plain, thrifty side that tastes far older and grander than it is.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Turnips, peeled and cut into thick wedges
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1 whole Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tsp Dried marjoram
- 2 tsp Thyme, leaves stripped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp White wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Blend the pitted date with 1.5 cups (360 ml) water and the bouillon until smooth. This sweet stock is the whole method: it replaces the butter and sugar the dish is classically glazed with, so the turnips caramelize in fruit sugar instead of refined sugar.
- Put the turnip wedges in a wide pan in a single layer, pour over the date stock, and add the marjoram and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the turnips are just tender, about 12 minutes. Marjoram is the defining German kitchen herb, more floral and rounded than oregano, and it perfumes the turnips as they soften.
- Uncover, raise the heat, and let the liquid boil down until it clings to the wedges as a shiny glaze, turning them once or twice, about 8 minutes. Turnips are mostly water and can taste flat, so reducing the pan to a syrup concentrates their flavor and lacquers them at the same time, no oil required.
- Off the heat, stir the mustard and vinegar into the glaze and turn the turnips to coat. The mustard sharpens the sweetness and the vinegar keeps it from turning cloying, doing the work salt would otherwise do. Scatter with parsley and black pepper and serve.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 70 calories, 2 g protein, 3 g fiber, 40 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
