The One Where Rachel Flounders and Panzanella Salad

Welcome to Friends With Food episode #7! Give it a listen here. We cover Friends Season 5, Episode 7, “The One Where Ross Moves In,” and we are joined by our dear friend Jenny Wise! Jenny is a comedy writer and aspiring gemologist living in Los Angeles. We know her from Comedy Lab classes we took together with Howard Johnson! Follow Jenny on Instagram and Twitter.

“The One Where Ross Moves In” originally aired on November 12th, 1998. “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill was number one on the charts that week! What a time to be alive! The Waterboy was still number one at the box office, sending us on a journey of Adam Sandler remembrances, ending up with Uncut Gems and a call back to gemology!

Ross doing his Important Dinosaur Work on a 1998 laptop.

Cultural appropriation of Ross’ headwear aside, this is a very fun tag.

This episode of Friends With Food is dedicated to James Michael Tyler, who portrayed Gunther on Friends. Michael, as he went by, passed away on October 24th, 2021, after a battle with prostrate cancer. He was 59 years old. Michael was the show’s most frequent regular, appearing in 150 of the shows 235 episodes. In the words of Rachel Green, “When I’m in a cafe, having coffee, or I see a man with hair brighter than the sun, I’ll think of you.” We love you Michael!

Panzanella Salad

Monica is trying to distract Danny so Rachel can sneak downstairs without him seeing. She tries to make conversation about the food, asking Danny what’s on his plate. He replies, “Bread. Salad. Hey, aren’t you a chef?” This recipe was inspired by that beautiful moment. A panzanella is a bread salad, to which you can add all sorts of things. I went with a tomato version, with a vinaigrette inspired by the flavors of harissa, a North African chili paste. Cumin, coriander, and caraway give the dressing an unexpected depth that is delightful against the juicy tomatoes and crusty bread.

panzanella salad

Note: Use the ripest tomatoes you can find for this salad. If tomatoes aren’t in season, stick to cherry tomatoes and any smaller tomatoes you find in a plastic clamshell style container, as these tend to be tasty any time of year. You want about 3 cups sliced tomatoes for the salad, use any combination of sizes and shapes you’d like.

dressing: 

⅓ c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp coriander

¼ tsp caraway

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp kosher salt

a few generous grinds of black pepper

salad:

2 thick slices of sourdough or your favorite crusty loaf

extra virgin olive oil

1 pint / 2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 large, ripe, heirloom tomato

1 large handful leafy greens such as arugula, spinach, or baby kale

1 large handful crunchy greens such as frisee, butter leaf lettuce, or romaine

1 large handful fresh basil

1 scallion, thinly sliced

flakey salt

black pepper

optional add ins:

fresh mozzarella or feta cheese

instructions:

To make the dressing, place all ingredients in a small jar or bowl. If using a jar, close the lid tightly and shake vigorously to emulsify. If using a bowl, whisk vigorously to do the same. I like to use a jar for ease.

To make the salad, cut two thick slices of your favorite sourdough or other crusty loaf. The slices should be at least an inch thick. Drizzle both sides of bread with olive oil. Heat a grill pan or frying pan over medium high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (you can also use an outdoor grill if you have one handy!). When the pan is hot, add the bread. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until bread is well toasted- a little char is nice! Remember the bread will soften up in the salad so don’t worry if it feels hard. Sprinkle the bread with a little salt while it’s cooking, and again once flipped. When bread is done, let cool slightly then cut into large croutons.

Slice your tomatoes; the cherry tomatoes in half, and any large tomatoes into thick slices. Place in a large bowl. Add a large handful each of leafy greens, crunchy lettuce torn into bite sized pieces, and torn fresh basil leaves (save a few basil leaves to scatter over the top of the salad, if you like). Add the croutons to the bowl and pour the dressing over top. Mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Transfer the salad to a large platter, and scatter the scallion and any remaining basil leaves over top. Finish with a bit of flakey salt and fresh ground black pepper.