When Your Favorite Restaurant Is 3,000 Miles Away, the Solution Is to Cook
There are three things writer Carlye Wisel has missed about New York City since fleeing to the West Coast last year: a tiny handful of people, her chiropractor, and Jack’s Wife Freda, the multidimensional café and cool-kid canteen with locations in Manhattan’s SoHo and West Village neighborhoods.
“When they said ‘green hot sauce’ to me, just because of my New York cooking experience and being in kitchens with Mexicans always, of course it’s gonna be jalapeños and cilantro.”
The spot has amassed popularity for being a bit of everything to everyone—offering picture-perfect dishes that are low-key healthy and an ambience that’s inviting yet as well a little exclusive. When it opened in 2012, well before restaurants were deliberately painting their walls Instagram-worthy shades of pink. Turquoise, Jack’s Wife Freda served colorful creations (the Benedicts are red-purple; the shakshuka is lime green) that were as pleasing to the palate as they were to the eye. Chef Jaksic deliberately kept some of the measurements loose, calling for bunches of cilantro in the house-made hot sauce in lieu of specificity. “Because we wanted to approach this as a home cookbook, we felt like ‘4 ounces of cilantro,’ that was a little…not homey, you know?” she explains.
My attempt at the famed peri-peri chicken, served with a side of chopped salad, couscous, and hot sauce, was easily one of the best I’ve ever made—but more of an homage to the restaurant than a duplication. Peel and quarter the onion and place with the garlic cloves in a small baking dish.
Drizzle with the olive oil and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until very soft when pierced with a knife. (The onion and garlic can be prepared ahead of time.) In a large bowl, soak the tomatillos in warm water to peel off the outer husk, then cut in half.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tomatillo sauce is heated through. Allow the eggs to cook sunny-side up until the whites are fully cooked but the yolks remain soft (you can of course cook the yolks through if that is your preference). Once the eggs are cooked, liberally spoon the shakshuka sauce on top of the eggs and garnish with chopped parsley.
She got to work tinkering with various elements and flavors and finally served this very same bowl of mussels to Dean, who smiled and told reporters, “Smells just like home.” This recipe makes enough for four as an appetizer or dinner for two. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the fennel bulb, onion, and chopped garlic. Once soft, add the curry, coriander, turmeric, paprika, ground fennel, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
Add 2 cups water, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer everything to a blender and blend on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, adding an additional 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon of the butter.
In a very large pot over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic. Immediately add the mussels with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine with the garlic.
Add the white wine and cover the mussels for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the fennel sauce and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cover. If they are not, return the lid and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Once most of the shells are open, transfer the mussels to a large bowl, pouring all the liquid on top of the mussels.
- Who: Jack’s Wife Freda · West Village · Cooking From New York’s
- Figures: 2 pounds
