From Publishers Weekly
Fans of witty, urbane cookbooks that serve as freewheeling antidotes to didactic chef tomes will warm to Zarubin's newest volume. Each of Zarubin's clever chapters tells a story, like the one in which she admits to smuggling in raw milk cheeses from abroad (illustrated with a photo of a pig's hoof poking from a suitcase). Recipes are seasonal, but Zarubin's no farm girl: her restaurant Lora was located in Greenwich Village, and this book has serious New York City flair, as evidenced in an Indian-influenced Thanksgiving feast that includes Roasted Hubbard Squash Wedges with Garam Masala. Her witty sophistication is apparent with such headings as "You buy Prada, I buy Truffles," where she proceeds to explain her luxurious tastes for Shaved Black Truffles on Toast or Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Potato Puree and Black Truffle Gravy. There is a fine introduction from Zarubin's pal and House & Garden colleague (she's the food editor; he contributes a wine column), novelist Jay McInerney. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
From her early catering days and her time as proprietor of the charming West Village restaurant Lora to her current role as House & Garden's food editor, Lora Zarubin has always been hungry: for experience, for travel, and for friends, but most of all for new recipes and new tastes. Here she invites readers to share in this lifelong love affair with food, and practice her straightforward approach: She uses the best ingredients possible, keeps her recipes simple, and makes cooking fun. I Am Almost Always Hungry is a cookbook that will make you want to get in the kitchen. Zarubin offers 30 seasonal menus and more than 100 recipes drawn from her childhood, her extensive travels throughout Europe and the United States, and her years as a caterer and restaurateur-which gave her unique insights into the subtleties of seasonal entertaining. Among Zarubin's featured creations are Fennel and Parmigiano-Reggiano Salad, Short Ribs with Chocolate and Cinnamon, Creamy Grits with Pureed Celery Root, and Roasted Peaches with Cardamon Sugar and Mascarpone Sauce. Throughout, stunning images by pioneering food photographer Tessa Traeger reveal the beauty of these dishes. I Am Almost Always Hungry also features a foreword by novelist and Zarubin-fan Jay McInerney, who writes the wine column for House & Garden.

About the Author
Lora Zarubin has known since she was three years old that cooking was her passion, and spent many of her early days cooking with her grandmothers. In 1982 she founded Good Food Catering and ten years later opened the acclaimed restaurant Lora in New York's Greenwich Village. Zarubin has been House & Garden's food editor since 1996. She lives in New York City with her Jack Russell terrier, Bessie. Tessa Traeger, one of the outstanding still-life photographers of our time, has exhibited regularly in Paris, London, Hamburg, and New York for the last 25 years.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From her early catering days and her time as proprietor of the charming West Village restaurant Lora to her current role as House & Garden's food editor, Lora Zarubin has always been hungry: for experience, for travel, and for friends, but most of all for new recipes and new tastes. Here she invites readers to share in this lifelong love affair with food, and practice her straightforward approach: She uses the best ingredients possible, keeps her recipes simple, and makes cooking fun. I Am Almost Always Hungry is a cookbook that will make you want to get in the kitchen.Zarubin offers 30 seasonal menus and more than 100 recipes drawn from her childhood, her extensive travels throughout Europe and the United States, and her years as a caterer and restaurateur—which gave her unique insights into the subtleties of seasonal entertaining. Among Zarubin's featured creations are Fennel and Parmigiano-Reggiano Salad, Short Ribs with Chocolate and Cinnamon, Creamy Grits with Pureed Celery Root, and Roasted Peaches with Cardamon Sugar and Mascarpone Sauce. Throughout, stunning images by pioneering food photographer Tessa Traeger reveal the beauty of these dishes. I Am Almost Always Hungry also features a foreword by novelist and Zarubin-fan Jay McInerney, who writes the wine column for House & Garden.