Why We Love It: In his love letter to Florida’s abundant seafood, tropical produce and multicultural flavors, Norman Van Aken weaves lore and stories among his recipes, which start in his beloved Key West and move to points north. There’s a heaping dollop of Southern influences, along with Korean, Peruvian, Japanese, Cuban, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Colombian, Caribbean, to name just a few – no surprise considering the author.
The cookbook takes you from soups and stews to desserts (cocktails, too) and features a generous lagniappe of recipes for relishes, jellies, marinades, rubs and salsas. Locals will love his shoutouts to Teena’s Pride heirloom tomatoes, Knaus Berry Farm sticky buns and Proper Sausages, among other South Florida favorites.
Recipes We Can’t Wait to Try: Route 27 Turkey Neck Tamales, Tea-Spiced Cast-Iron Spotted Sea Trout with capers, cucumbers, mangos and brown butter; Allspice Dram (made from our post-Hurricane Irma harvest)
Norman Van Aken’s Florida Kitchen
