It's time to make that cassava or farine pie! Everyone does a little something different to their pies -- some choose to make either cassava or farine or they combine the two. Here are some pie recipes for you to try.

*** CASSAVA-FARINE PIE 1 lb farina 11 lbs cassava 6 eggs 8 oz butter 4 oz Crisco 6 oz sugar nutmeg to taste salt, vanilla and lemon flavouring 21 lbs cooked chicken 2 cups milk or stock - more if mixture is still dry METHOD: 1. Soak farina in milk or stock in which the chicken has been cooked until all the granules are saturated.

2. Mix well with the drained cassava, add the sugar and salt, soft butter and Crisco. Mix in thoroughly. Stir in the eggs until the batter is of a light consistency.

3. Add grated nutmeg, vanilla and lemon to taste.

4. Place some of the mixture on the bottom of a greased casserole, garnish the centre with the cooked, diced chicken, cover with the remainder of the mixture.

5. Bake for approximately 150 minutes, basting frequently with the cooking liquid from the meat.

*** FARINE BALLS Yield: Approx. 3 dozen balls 1 lb farine 3 oz butter 2 oz sugar 3 eggs grated nutmeg to taste 1 cup milk 6 oz cooked chicken salt & pepper 4 oz chicken stock 2 oz flour oil for frying METHOD: 1. Leave farine to soak in the milk.

2. Melt butter in saucepan, then add flour and mix well.

3. Add stock and mix well to a smooth paste.

4. Add the farine to the stock mixture.

5. Mix in eggs, sugar and seasonings.

6. Fold in the cooked chicken and mold into small balls. If the mixture seems very dry, add more milk.

7. Deep fry or shallow fry and set to drain on absorbent paper.

8. Serve hot with a mustard sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Recipes from Chef Fred Ming *** FARINE PIE 1 lb farine 1 can cream 1 cup water 3 lb sugar (11 to 2 cups) 1 lb butter (1 cup) 1 dozen eggs 1 cup flour 2 tsps baking powder 1 tsp salt Chicken, pork or beef SOAK farine in milk and water overnight; add water to keep moist, until ready to mix with batter. Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, flour, baking powder and salt.

Add farine to this mixture. Pour in baking pan and add layers of meat as desired, cover with layers of farine mixture. Bake for approximately 2 hours at 350 degrees. This recipe may be doubled for a larger pie.

*** CASSAVA PIE 10 lbs cassava 12 to 18 eggs 1 lb butter Nutmeg and Mace to taste Salt 21 cups sugar (more or less to taste) 1 Medium chicken, boiled PARBOIL chicken, cool, debone (save broth). Place cassava, salt and spices in bowl. Cream butter sugar, add beaten eggs; combine with cassava. Line greased pan with mixture, place chicken meat, plus one cup broth in centre; cover with remaining mixture. Bake 4 hours.

*** CASSAVA/FARINE PIE 4 lbs cassava 3 lbs farine or 1 small pkg cream of wheat 11 dozen eggs 11 lbs butter 1 lb flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 Tbsp mixed spices or 1 Tbsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg 2 cups sugar (to taste) 2 tsp salt 2 lbs pork, 5 lbs chicken BOIL pork and chicken, season to taste with salt, pepper and thyme. Save stock and cut meat into small pieces. Cream butter and eggs, add cassava and farine.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, spices and salt. Add sugar to taste. Add about 1 cup of meat stock to moisten. Line bottom and sides of a large oval pan about 11 inches thick with mixture. Fill centre with meat and 1 cup stock.

Cover top with the balance of mixture. Bake approx. 3 hours at 325 degrees and baste occasionally with stock in slow oven.

From The Continental Society of Bermuda *** CASSAVA PIE 4 lbs. Cassava 3 lb soft butter 2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon salt 12 eggs (beaten) 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon vanilla PLACE the Cassava in a dish towel and squeeze out all of the liquid. Place the Cassava in a bowl.

Cream butter and sugar in a larger bowl, add beaten eggs then Cassava. Mix well.

FILLING: Simmer until cooked 4 to 5 pounds of chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt, a sprig of thyme and a few stalks of celery. When cooked, cool the chicken. Discard bones and skin. Reserve the broth. You may prefer to use 3 pounds of chicken and 1 pound cooked cubed, lean pork.

Generously grease a deep pan about 11 x 9 x 4 inches with shortening. DO NOT USE butter or oil sprays. These cause the pie to brown too quickly.

Place half of the batter in the pan building it up on the sides. Place meat filling in the pie. Moisten this with about 3 cup liquid poured evenly over it. Cover the remaining Cassava mixture and smooth down making a design with a knife.

Bake the pie at 300 degrees F for about 3 hours.

If you notice the pie shrinking from the sides of the pan before the 3 hours then the pie is cooked.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool covered with a damp dishtowel and foil.

This will keep the crust from becoming hard.

Serves a family of 4.

*** FARINE PIE 1 lb farina 1 lb butter 6 eggs 1 1 cups sugar 1 level tablespoon salt 3 tin evaporated milk (about 9 oz) 2 lbs cooked chicken 1 cup chicken broth DAMP the farina and 2 cups of water. Let stand for 2 or more hours. Prepare the Farine pie the same as the Cassave pie. Bake for 2 hours at 325 degrees F.

Recipes from: The Bermuda Cookbook by Cecille C. Snaith-Simmons.

*** BERMUDA CASSAVA PIE 4 lbs cassava 3 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 one time, in a tea towel and squeeze out all the liquid. Set aside.

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, beat in the cassava.

Generously grease a deep pan, about 13 x 9 x 4 inches, with either lard or shortening. (Do not use butter as it would 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: Put 3 lbs cut-up frying chicken. 3 lb cubed lean pork, a sprig of thyme and about 11 teaspoons of salt in a pot. Half-cover the meat with water, put a lid on the pot and simmer for 11 hours. Cool.

Drain the liquid off and save it. Cut the chicken meat into large cubes, discarding bones and skin.

Place meats in the pie; moisten with little of the 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 centre.

Bake pie in slow oven of 300 degrees 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 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 oven about 3 hour.

Recipes from: What's Cooking in Bermuda by Betsy Ross.

*** CASSAVA PIE 8 lbs frozen grated Cassava 1 lb butter 3 cups sugar 1 dozen eggs 3 tsp salt 3 whole nutmegs, grated 3 lbs chicken (preferably breasts) 3 lbs pork tenderloin (cut in 1'' cubes) DRAIN cassava by placing in large square of cheesecloth, tie four corners together, and allow cassava to thaw and drain by tying cheesecloth `bag' to handle of upper cupboard in kitchen, be sure to place large bowl directly under bag. Leave overnight.

FILLING: Cook chicken and diced pork separately in saucepans with just enough water to cover, add salt and sprigs of thyme and parsley to each pot. Bring to boil and allow to simmer until meat is nearly tender. Remove the chicken meat from bones and cut in cubes, similar to pork. Retain stock from both saucepans.

Tasty recipes for Christmas pies CASSAVA `CRUST': Cream butter and add sugar slowly; then add salt, grated nutmeg and eggs one at a time, beating constantly. Add this mixture to drained cassava and mix well.

Place half of this mixture in large greased baking pan (approximately 14x10x3) or use several loaf size pans. Spread mixture on bottom and sides of baking tin(s) about 1to 11 thick. Then put chicken and pork on top of layer of cassava with a little stock. Cover completely with remainder of cassava mixture, leaving small hole in the centre for basting.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, reduce heat to 250 degrees F and bake for 3 more hours. Baste every hour by pouring stock into hole in centre.

Cool in pan(s) and then cover with damp cloth. Refrigerate.

To serve, slice and warm in oven or heat in melted butter in frying pan.

Cassava pie can be frozen. Wrap, seal and label.

From: Pot Pourri compiled by: St. John's Guild Pembroke.

*** LITE CASSAVA PIE 3 lbs cassava 1 pound farina, (soak) in 31 cups skim milk overnight 2 cups egg substitutes or 8 egg whites 8 oz margarine 11 cups sugar 1 cup flour 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 21 lbs boneless chicken breast METHOD: 1. Cook chicken in chicken broth.

2. Strain the broth and save.

3. Cut chicken into pieces.

4. Cream margarine and sugar together.

5. Add egg substitute, a bit at a time, to mixture. 6. Add drained cassava or farina, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. 7. Fold in flour.

8. Grease two loaf pans with non stick spray.

9. Pour half mixture into bottom of loaf pans.

10. Add chicken pieces.

11. Pour remaining cassava mixture on top.

12. Make a hole on the top of the pie.

13. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 to 3 hours.

14. After one hour, pour chicken stock in pie hole.

16 portions: 450 calories, 15 grams fat recipe from Nutrition Services.