Cauliflower tinga tacos

Step 1: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Toss 1 cauliflower with 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil and ½ tsp salt and spread it on a large tray in one layer; crowded florets steam instead of browning.

Step 2: Roast for 18–20 minutes, turning once, until the edges are deep golden and a knife slides in with a little resistance. Don't take it all the way to soft: it cooks a little more in the sauce.

Step 3: Meanwhile, heat the rest of 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 2 white onions and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often, until floppy, translucent and sweet with a few golden edges.

Step 4: Blend 3 cloves garlic, 1 ⅛ lb ripe tomatoes and 3 chipotle chillies in adobo with its sauce until smooth. No chipotle in adobo? Use 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp chilli flakes and 1 tsp tomato purée; it is less complex but still smoky.

Step 5: Pour the sauce over the onions; it should sizzle. Add 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp dried thyme, 2 bay leaves, ½ cup vegetable stock and the rest of ½ tsp salt. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until it darkens to brick red and thickens enough to coat a spoon.

Step 6: Fold in the roasted cauliflower and simmer for 3 minutes so it soaks up the sauce. Taste: add more salt, or a little more chipotle sauce for heat. Remove the bay leaves.

Step 7: Warm 12 corn tortillas on a dry pan over a medium-high heat for 30 seconds a side, until soft and spotted, and keep them wrapped in a tea towel.

Step 8: Fill each tortilla with tinga and top with 1 avocado, 2 ⅞ oz shredded lettuce if using, and a squeeze of 1 lime. Tinga keeps for 3 days in the fridge and tastes even better the next day.