Cauliflower “hot wings”

with bleu cheese ranch dressing

These crispy and tender little gems are one of those things that are addictive—bet you can’t eat just one.

I made a huge platter of these Buffalo Caulifower Wings as part of the buffet for my daughter in law's baby shower. She and my son are vegetarian, hence, so was the buffet. Nevertheless, several people came up to me and said that the boneless chicken wings were fabulous. They were blown away when they heard that they were eating cauliflower.

Some recipes for cauliflower wings are baked, others are fried. These are baked and then fried, for a fabulous texture. This method is good for two additional reasons: (1) they can be prepped and baked in advance, kept in the fridge, then fried last minute. (2) dipping food in batter and then dropping it into a fryer can get messy. While making a mess never stopped me from trying something in my kitchen, less clean-up is a not a bad thing.

The frying takes three minutes because they’re already fully cooked. A deep fryer is the easiest way to get it done, but you can use a tall narrow pot and a candy thermometer.

I think an electric fryer is a worthy investment. While fried foods aren't exactly the healthiest, once in a while won't kill you. Let's face it—some things are just better when fried.

It's important to control the temperature of your oil. Too hot and they'll burn before they have time to cook through; not hot enough and your food will be greasy.

Cauliflower Hot Wings with Buttermilk Ranch Dip

For the Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup buttermilk

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 1/3 cup sour cream

• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• a chunk of blue cheese, crumbled

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Whisk the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream and vinegar in a medium bowl until smooth.

• Add the chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper; whisk to combine.

• Crumble in blue cheese and stir. Cover and chill while you make the cauliflower.

For the Cauliflower Wings

Ingredients:

• 1 ½  cups all-purpose flour

• 1 ½  teaspoons paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¾  teaspoon garlic powder

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1 ½  cups buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon no-chicken soup base paste

• Kosher salt to taste

• 1 medium head cauliflower, broken into 1 ½”  florets

• oil for frying (I like to use peanut oil, but sunflower and avocado oil are both good choices)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 425°.

• Arrange two oven racks in the top and bottom positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

• Whisk together all the ingredients—but not the cauliflower—in a large bowl to make a smooth, thick batter.  Taste for salt and add more if needed.

• Add the cauliflower, a few pieces at time, and toss them well in the batter to coat.

• Transfer the cauliflower, one piece at a time, to the baking sheets, shaking the excess batter back into the bowl.

• Arrange the florets on the baking sheets so they don't touch. Bake until the batter is set, about 12 minutes.

• You can make this recipe in advance, up to this point.

• Heat a deep fryer to 375°.

• While the cauliflower is baking, melt the butter with the hot sauce and garlic powder in a large skillet over low heat.

• Allow the baked cauliflower to cool enough for handling.

• Fry the cauliflower for a few minutes until crispy, then drain on paper towels.

 These are delicious as is, with no sauce coating them at all.

To turn your cauliflower wings into Buffalo wings you'll need…

 Hot Wing Sauce

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ½ cups Frank's Red Hot wing sauce

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Method:

In a large skillet, combine the butter with the hot sauce and the garlic powder.

Bring it to a simmer, add the fried "wings," and toss to coat. Pile them on a platter and serve with the buttermilk dipping sauce.

Celery and carrot sticks are the traditional accompaniments. Bell pepper strips and cucumber sticks are also nice additions.

Don't like it hot? Substitute your favorite barbeque sauce for the hot sauce.