Food Friday: A Cooking Demo at Tiefenthaler Park

Have you heard for the PEAK Initiative? It’s an organization that nurtures Milwaukee’s young leaders through positive programming and strong relationships. A mission near and dear to Chef Kevin’s heart, he’s been working with PEAK to get a cooking program off the ground. This week, he hosted the first of a few cooking demos, open to the public, in Tiefenthaler Park on 25th and Cherry. Using vegetables provided by the Victory Garden Initiative (another amazing organization), Kevin brought members of the community together to learn how to make Braised Sweet and Spicy Russian Kale with Bacon.

What you’ll need:

2 dozen kale leaves, stems trimmed off

1 onion, sliced

6 strips of bacon, sliced into bits

1 teaspoon chili flakes or spicy pepper of your choice

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Cooking Steps:

• In a large pan, over medium to high heat, add chopped up bacon with a couple drops of cooking oil, stir the bacon for 3-4 minutes until it becomes brown and crisp.

• Add the sliced onion and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. When the onion softens, add the kale to the pan.

• Try and coat all of the kale with the fat that’s in the pan. After sautéing for a minute or two, add the chicken or vegetable broth and maple syrup.

• Continue to cook until the liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.

PEAK coordinates the programming for Tiefenthaler Park, a beautiful space that has deep roots in the community.