Don’t know what to do with that big bulb of fennel? Here’s a unique take on an “au gratin”:

Fennel-Kale Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice (I used jasmine rice)
2 cups chicken broth – or better yet, homemade bone broth!
1 bunch of kale
oil of choice (I used olive oil)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan
gluten-free crackers, crumbled

• Preheat oven to 375 ⁰F.
• Place rice and chicken broth in a pot over high heat, with lid on. Once mixture starts to boil, turn heat down to low and let simmer until rice is cooked, ~15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, shred kale into bite-size pieces and briefly blanch in a pot of boiling water, ~2 minutes. Drain kale in a colander and run cold water over it. Try to squeeze any excess water out of the kale, then set aside.
• Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat (a wok also works). Add onion, sautéing for a few minutes before adding fennel. Stir frequently, until fennel is cooked through (~10 minutes).
• Add blanched kale and garlic, stirring ~2 minutes.
• Beat eggs in a large bowl, then mix in milk and salt.
• Add cooked rice, kale, onion, garlic and fennel to bowl, mixing thoroughly. Stir in grated parmesan.
• Transfer mixture to a greased 2-quart casserole dish.
• Sprinkle crumbled gluten-free crackers over top of dish.
• Bake 40 minutes.

This also tastes great with some nutritional yeast sprinkled on top!