Taioba in the Kitchen: How to Prep and Cook This Leafy Green

By high summer, the big leaves of the taioba plant are the size of elephant ears, and harvesting just one or two can provide a quick and tasty side dish or ingredient to use in other dishes. Taioba must be cooked to eliminate trace amounts of calcium oxalate, but the cooking is fast—less than 5 minutes. Traditionally, a taioba sauté starts with a bit of garlic and olive oil, and finishes with a splash of water for a quick simmer. Follow the steps on this page (demonstrated by Debora Ferreira de Souza of the Scottish Bakehouse) to prep and cook taioba.

• Separate leaf and stem To prep taioba for cooking, you will need to remove the flesh from the stem and ribs. This is simple; just use your fingertips to pull away each fleshy section of the taioba leaf from the main stem and from between the secondary ribs. (See photo at far right, too.) You will have a pile of ribbony taioba to cook, and a funny looking leaf skeleton to compost.
• A quick saute & simmer To cook taioba, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add a teaspoon or so of minced garlic. Cook and stir until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the taioba and toss well. Add a few tablespoons of water, some salt and stir. Cook until all the taioba is wilted and well combined with the garlic, a few minutes. The water should have mostly evaporated. Be sure not to skip the water as it helps eliminate the trace amount of calcium oxalate that could irritate your throat.
• Ready for prime time Let the taioba cool off the heat for just a minute. If you plan to use it as a pizza topping or omelet ingredient, let it cool completely and refrigerate if you like. Otherwise, serve it warm as a side dish.
• Try a bed of polenta A creamy cup of polenta is a comforting and traditional landing spot for a tangle of sautéed taioba. Try adding fresh corn to the polenta and a little bit of red chile flakes to the taioba sauté.