Joel Hicks

after reading through the above posts i made my first cashew butter, which was delicious. i live in the middle east so i can get access to many fresh nuts at very cheap prices, so now our pantry holds cashew butter, almond butter, pistachio butter and mixed nut butters. my family love them as we find the American peanut butters far too sweet. all these butters can be made very very easily, and a fraction of the cost. Recipe Guide 1. roast a good quantity of nuts i usually make it in 1/2 kg batches and then you can share with your friends 2. salt to taste 3. Oil, what ever you prefer. roast nuts in oven utill nice and fragrant and then allow to cool transfer to a food processor and whizz till nice and smooth. You can reserve a handful of nuts to add later if you want a chunkier style of butter. drizzle in your oil of choice as if you are making a mayonaise through the throat of the food processor, untill you reach a peanut butter consistency add salt to taste you will find that after you store it that the oil will separate from the nut mix, you just need to mix it back in with your spoon or knife. Enjoy Joel

I actually think that Zuma is the best restaurant in the Emirates. Its expensive, but os is everything else in Dubai. I left Zuma after spending a large whack of cash feeling satisfied, and not ripped off like i usually do after leaving an Emirates based fine diner. my tips for dishes are - tempura asparagus - king fish and truffle sashimi - wagyu steak - cold bottle of saki...... the only other restaurant of this calibre in dubai that i can recommend is Amwaj, in the shangrilah dubai. i havent been there in a while but the food is always good, but the best part is the service is excellent. Joel

Huzzar Grill is excellent for game meats, and has an excellent wine list. If you are not from South Africa, it is all so veryvery cheap.

i live in the middle east, and we know this as freekeh, it is staple and available as an acompniement to grilled meats. It is typically served with pine nuts and currents or raisins, seasoned with cinamon and cumin, its delicious.

Prime rib eh? i would have thought that it would dry out cooking rotisserie style. Did you need to lard it at all? Did you place the shaft through the centre of the rib eye, or close to the bone?? Cheers Joel

Dear Martin, i am also about to construct a spit roast based on the Meat book by Hugh Fernley.... I was wondering if you managed to draw up a design for the spit that you built? and if you were willing to share those designs? Also, did you end up mounting an electric motor to the spit? if so what size did you use and how did you connect it to the crank? I look forwrad to hearing from you. Joel