Now's the time for cassava pie

If there is one dish that is as traditional as turkey on the Bermuda Christmas day dinner table, it is cassava pie. Not only do Bermudians at home regard it as a "must", but also many 'Mujans living abroad arrange for visiting friends or relatives to bring them either a whole pie or the ground cassava to make their own.

Recipes for cassava pie are like music. There may have been an "original" recipe once, but as it has been travelled through generations of friends and family, variations have occurred. Some cooks add more sugar and less spice, others use a combination of meat and poultry, and there are those who omit both. Texture is another variant: some like it to be moist, soft and almost cake-like, while others prefer it dense and solid.

Then there are those who prefer farina pie (dried ground cassava), which is similar in taste but, for some, an easier recipe to make.

Even assembling the pie can be different.

Some sandwich the meats and/or chicken filling between two layers of cassava, while others prefer to mix into the batter. Certainly the latter makes the eating easier.

If you have never made cassava pie, or wish to try a different recipe this year, the following are taken from Bermuda cookbooks. Today is the day to buy and thaw the cassava, and pre-prepare the filling, so that all you have to do on Christmas Eve is assemble and bake it, and let the heavenly aroma fill the house.

BERMUDA CASSAVA PIE

4 lbs. cassava
¾ lb. butter
2 cups sugar
1 dozen eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

PLACE the cassava, a small amount at a time, in a tea towel and squeeze out all of the liquid. Set aside in a mixing bowl. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream thoroughly with your hands. Add beaten eggs, seasonings and vanilla; continue to mix well with your hands. Finally, mix in the cassava.

Generously grease a deep pan, about 13 x 9 x 4 inches, with lard or shortening. (Do not use butter as it will cause the pie to brown too much on the bottom). Pat mixture into the pan in a layer about an inch thick, building it up on the sides and leaving a hollow in the centre for the filling, which has been cooked ahead of time.

Filling (Prepare in advance): Put 3 lbs. of cut-up frying chicken, ¾ lb. cubed lean port, a sprig of thyme and about 1 ½ tsp. of salt in a pot. Half-cover the meat with water, cover and simmer for 1 ½ hrs. Cool.

Drain the liquid off and reserve. Cut the chicken into large cubes, discarding bones and skin, and mix with pork. Place meat mixture in the pie; moisten with a little of the reserved liquid. Cover with remaining cassava mixture. Smooth down with blade of knife as if icing a cake. With point of knife make a small hole in the centre. Bake in a slow oven (300 degrees F.) for 3 hours until it starts to shrink from the sides of the pan like a cake. If the crust seems dry during baking, sprinkle with a little of the chicken liquid, and also pour some down the hole. When the pie is removed from the oven, cover with a damp cloth and a dry cloth on top of that. This keeps the crust from hardening while the pie is cooling.

To re-heat, slice thickly, cover with foil, and place in 300 degree F. oven for about ¾ of an hour. (Betsy Ross 'What's Cooking in Bermuda').