Healthy vegetables. Wintery root vegetables. The good old rutabaga

The good old rutabaga

The rutabaga with the sweetish, fine-bitter taste has long been - wrongly - forgotten. Previously, the delicate tubers were the food base for the poorer population. In the First World War, people at times fed almost exclusively on turnips. Even jam and coffee substitutes were made from the root vegetables.
Thanks to her versatility in the kitchen, she has also become modern again. Traditionally, you can enjoy the root vegetables in a hearty stew with potatoes, carrots and smoked meat. But it is also in a creamy soup, puree, casserole and on the Flammkuchen a delight. If you want to serve a light side dish with meat and fish you can cook the turnip diced and season with nutmeg. For vegetarian cutlets, the tubers are sliced, pre-cooked, breaded with breadcrumbs and fried crispy. Swedes can also be wonderfully combined with other winter vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi and celery.

Before preparation, the turnip is washed thoroughly and peeled and cut off the stalk. Depending on the recipe, it can then be sliced ​​or grated into slices, pens or cubes. The optimal cooking time is depending on the size of 30 to 40 minutes. With too long cooking times, important nutrients are lost and the vegetables develop an unpleasant cabbage-like taste.

The rutabaga is a cross between rape (Brassica rapa) and vegetables (Brassica oleracea). The ideal turnip is roundish and weighs about 1.5 kg. For the kitchen, varieties with yellow meat are preferred, while white-fleshed varieties are mostly used as cattle feed. The turnip has a relatively high sugar content, which ensures the fine-sweet taste. Also valuable protein, essential oils, potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2 and C and beta-carotene are included.

You can find swede on the weekly market, in farm shops and in the well-stocked supermarket. When shopping, you should prefer smaller specimens with a smooth shell, as they usually taste more tender and fresher. The meat should not be woody after cutting and have no worm stings. In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, the rutabaga remains fresh for a few days.
(Heike Kreutz, aid)