Winter Root Vegetable Nishime
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups assorted root vegetables cut into thick chunks (carrots, daikon radish, rutabaga and onion are good options)
- 2" strip kombu
- 1 pinch sea salt
Rinse the kombu quickly under cold, running water. Place at the bottom of a heavy, preferably cast iron pot. Add 1/8" of water. Arrange the vegetables around the pot so that they are in sections, not just mixed together. Put a tight lid on and weight it down with something heavy. Turn on the heat and listen to the pot until you can hear the water beginning to simmer. Immediately turn the heat down to its lowest setting and place pot on a flame deflector. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove lid add the salt and gently shake the pot. Put the lid back on and simmer as before for a further 10 minutes, then serve. It is best not to eat the kombu.