Method
1. Combine vegan ranch dressing ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and set aside.
2. Preheat oil to 175ºC in a large wok, pot or deep fryer.
3. Combine cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and 2 tsp sea salt in a large bowl and whisk until well combined. Add water and vodka and whisk until a smooth batter is formed, adding up to 2 tbsp additional water if batter is too thick.
4. Add cauliflower to batter. Working one at a time, lift one piece and allow excess batter to drip off. Carefully lower into hot oil. Repeat with remaining cauliflower until wok or fryer is full. Do not crowd pan. Stir the cauliflower around and cook until evenly golden brown and crisp all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with salt. Keep warm while you fry the remaining cauliflower.
5. Combine hot sauce, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil from fryer in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Toss fried cauliflower with sauce and serve alongside the ranch dressing.

Difficulty: Medium
Preparation: 20–25 mins (plus macadamia soaking time ~8 hours or overnight)
Cooking: 25–30 mins
Serves: 4 as a side dish / 2 as a light main

Ingredients
500g broccoli heads, cut lengthwise into quarters
2 tbsp sunflower oil for frying
100g macadamia nuts (whole or pieces)
250g vegetable stock
25g stale bread, crusts removed
½ brown onion, evenly diced
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Large pinch saffron threads
80mL olive oil
20g extra macadamia nuts for garnish

Method
1. To make the macadamia sauce, first soak the macadamias overnight in the vegetable stock.

2. The next day, heat a small pot over medium low heat and add the sunflower oil, then onion and stir constantly so as not to add any colour. After 3 minutes of cooking add the garlic cloves and continue to stir — again looking to cook without adding colour. After 2 minutes add the bread and saffron and cook for another 30 seconds. Once the saffron has become fragrant, add the stock/macadamia mix and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.

3. Once the nuts have softened, remove from the heat, place in a food processor/blender and allow to cool slightly. Turn on the processor and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The final consistency should be thick but still pourable. Season to taste and keep somewhere warm.

4. Preheat oven to 230ºC. To roast the broccoli, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the broccoli for two minutes. Pat dry and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Place on roasting tray and roast for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown/black patches start to appear. Brassicas (Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts etc) all take on a sweetness when burnt slightly.

5. Place charred broccoli on the plate and drizzle with the warm macadamia sauce. Grate or crumble additional toasted macadamia nuts just before serving.
WAG