It’s simple to make — Cut, brown then braise with water (or stock of your choice) and a little juice from your orange. The orange works beautifully with the anise flavor of fennel. The fennel becomes slightly sweet and very tender.
Braised Fennel & Kale with Orange
Remove the fennel stalks (save them to use for garnish, in salads or in salad dressings) and cut the fennel bulb in half.
Make two angled cuts in the center of the bulb to remove the core- even with braising, the core can be a bit tough.
Cut the fennel bulb into wedges.
To braise the fennel, sear it on both sides in a little olive oil until slightly brown, then add the juice from the orange and about 1/2 cup of water or stock.
Discard the stem of the kale leaf and toss the kale leaves in with the fennel.
Cook on low heat until kale is tender, about 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with some orange zest.