When I graduated high school, Cole gave me a card with the usual congratulations. Part of the message said something about posting bail for me, but I will never forget that at the bottom, he wrote “If you’re ever in trouble, call me.” I still have the note to this day, as it made me think about the people we have around us, and the various ways support exists. Someone once told me that Cole was a “go-to guy,” the one who people call on when they’re in trouble. I admire people who can be there in trouble, even though it’s a difficult position to hold, and can be exhausting (I have been, and sometimes still am that person for others). Knowing that someone is willing to show up for you when you need it most, even if you never see them, is part of what family means to me.
From Cole: “This is a recipe I use often and love. I’ve made it for guests coming over for dinner and on weekend trips with a big group. The recipe says to have the leftovers on bread with mayo and damn if that isn’t almost better than the fresh meal! I try to make too much on purpose for this reason.”
Ingredients
1 large onion, peeled
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1⁄3 cup whole milk, plain, or Greek-style yogurt
2 tsp kosher salt
1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces, skin removed, or 3 pounds bone-in chicken parts, skin removed
1⁄4 cup ghee or oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, snapped in half
3 green cardamom pods, cracked
3 small green chiles, stemmed
Directions
Cut onion in half, trim off the root, and thinly slice one half from root to stem. Set aside. Roughly chop the remaining onion half and purée in a blender, adding as little water as needed to blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl. Set aside.
In the same blender (no need to wash it out), purée ginger, garlic, yogurt and kosher salt, adding as little water as needed to blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, add to bowl with yogurt purée and toss with your hands to coat.
In a medium Dutch oven, pot or karahi over medium-high heat, add ghee and reserved sliced onions, and cook, stirring often, until crisp and deeply browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. (The onions will continue to brown after removing from heat, so scoop them out of the pot when they are a shade lighter than the desired final color.) Leaving behind the fat, transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, and spread them out so they cool down quickly and don’t clump together.
Add the onion purée, coriander, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and a big pinch of kosher salt to remaining ghee and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and aromatic, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add chicken, scraping in all the yogurt marinade, and stir to coat in onion paste. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken releases its liquid, about 10 minutes. Partly cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is falling off the bone, the sauce is thick and creamy, and the fat breaks out of the sauce, about 30 to 35 minutes. (You want it to be saucy but thick. Add water a splash as a time, if needed, while cooking.)
Add green chiles, 3⁄4 of the reserved frizzled onions and more kosher salt to taste. Gently stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with remaining frizzled onions, and serve with paratha, rice, or as a sandwich by pulling the meat off the bone, dressing in the korma sauce, and placing between mayonnaise-slathered slices of untoasted bread.
Recipe submitted by Cole Aaronson, from NYT Cooking
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