These rounds of beefy goodness will soon become your best friend in the kitchen. May we introduce to you the Oxtail. Before you panic, they're not from actual Oxen, unlike the olden days. Like all great things, Oxtail comes from humble begins just like the tomato. Oxtail was seen as a poor mans food, because of its lack of meat but meat is not what makes this cut an unsung hero! Oxtail doesn't usually star as the king of a dish but rather work quietly in the background of stocks, soups and stews adding a ton of flavour layers, providing a rich thick gelatinous body which gives dishes a whole new dimension of depth.

Another great way to stretch your meat budget are these classic raw dishes. While some people might baulk at raw meat dishes, I can't count the number of times I've served Steak Carpaccio to "Well Done Only" friends who turn around and admit that they loved it. Carpaccio (see image above) is made by thinly slicing steak (typically Eye fillet) and laying out on a plate. Putting the steak in the freezer long enough for it to semi-freeze can help getting extra thin slices. Once on the plate, I like to simply dress with generous amounts of capers, shaved Parmesan, rocket olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic.

No, we aren't describing the next Bachelor (unfortunately), we're talking about the stew that when you eat it feels like a big bear hug. Move over Chicken Soup, Lamb Stew is coming through! Some will argue that Chicken Soup is the meal to heal, mind, body and soul, we beg to differ. Lamb Stew, is just as, if not more soul-satisfyingly delicious. Lamb Stew although rich in flavour and health benefits is a cheap date! That's right you can snag Lamb neck chops or even Lamb BBQ chops for a lot less than you'd think.

Butterfly Pork Steaks in Creamy Mushroom Sauce, what a simple yet truly tasty dish.

Lucy House of Dawson Valley Free Range farms supplies us, Sunshine Coast Organic Meats, with delectable Pork that needs to be tasted to be believed! Lucy not only shared with us her farm when we went to visit her and her husband on their farm (click here to read about our visit to the farm) she shared with us one of her stellar recipes, Butterfly Pork Steaks in Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

We're going around the Twist with Jono's Anchovy and Salsa Verde Twists! OMG, this classic from the old days of Ricky Ricardos (and briefly as Rickys) is one of my favourite little bar snacks and dead easy to make.

I love this dead simple dish, its like meat and salad in one serve!
Firstly you'll be needing to whip up the Salsa Verde .Literally translated as Green Sauce, Salsa Verde has a great many variations and no hard rules. The basic objective is to create a piquant fresh and slightly acidic sauce to bring a light, bright and fresh flavour to dishes.

I love the little squid tubes including tentacles (the best part, am I right?) that we get from Dan at Soul Fish in Coolum. Caught locally, they are sweet and tender. Generally speaking, Squid needs to be cooked really quickly or really long and slow to stay tender. I was originally thinking that we would slow cook these in the red sauce, in the oven for a long period. However, the Sunday Brains Trust suggested that given the Squid's relatively thin diameter that we might be able to cook them on the BBQ quick enough to not make them tough but long enough to cook the pork stuffing through.

There was a long-standing restaurant in Noosaville called Rosie's, run by husband and wife Larry and Rosie. Larry would come out and enthusiastically talk through the menu with each table before returning to his tiny kitchen where he produced outstanding meals off a domestic white enamelled electric stove top!

Todd Hill of Jackalope Slow Food's Adobo Beef Cheek Chilli Con Carne dish will have your taste buds craving more. Small ingredients list + a minimal prep time = BIG flavourful rewards.

Take Jono's word for it, 'The Thai fish sauce dressing in this Scallop Miang dish is my most requested recipe and is relatively simple to master!