than otherwise, and in such cases it is well to cover the dish with a
plate, cook until the pie is nearly done, then remove the plate, add the
crust, and return to the oven until the crust is lightly browned. Many
cooks insist on piercing holes in the top crust of a meat pie directly
it is taken from the oven.


MEAT AND TOMATO PIE

This dish presents an excellent way of using up small quantities of
either cold beef or cold mutton. If fresh tomatoes are used, peel and
slice them; if canned, drain off the liquid. Place a layer of tomato in
a baking dish, then a layer of sliced meat, and over the two dredge
flour, pepper, and salt; repeat until the dish is nearly full, then put
in an extra layer of tomato and cover the whole with a layer of pastry
or of bread or cracker crumbs. When the quantity of meat is small, it
may be "helped out" by boiled potatoes or other suitable vegetables.
A few oysters or mushrooms improve the flavor, especially when beef is
used. The pie will need to be baked from half an hour to an hour,
according to its size and the heat of the oven.


MEAT WITH STARCHY MATERIALS

Macaroni cooked with chopped ham, hash made of meat and potatoes or meat
and rice, meat croquettes--made of meat and some starchy materials like
bread crumbs, cracker dust, or rice--are other familiar examples of meat
combined with starchy materials. Pilaf, a dish very common in the Orient
and well known in the United States, is of this character and easily
made. When there is soup or soup stock on hand it can be well used in