Pronunciation: pass-tee

Condensed Recipe: Use a big handful of sliced (or diced) potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Then add another, somewhat smaller handful of meat. Add more salt and pepper, and a handful of chopped onions. More salt and pepper. Top with several big globs of butter. Seal in a pastry crust, and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 325 degrees for about an hour.

Pastry: Make the pastry with lard and lots of salt. Don't try to make a flaky pie crust, as a pasty should have a tough crust, one that holds together when you hold it in your hand.

Meat: In the old days, the meat was loin tips, but you never see them in supermarkets anymore. You can use round steak, flank steak, or chuck steak. The expensive, tender cuts don't add any extra flavor and they can lose their integrity in the cooking.

Potatoes: In the old days, the potatoes were the most plentiful ingredient, but when times got better, pasties began to be made with equal amounts of meat and spuds, maybe about a half pound of each to a pasty.

Color: Before baking you can dab milk around the crimped edges if you like a browner crust, or you can brush the top of the crust with egg yolk for a golden glow.

Eating Them: You can eat pasties hot, warm, or cold. If you wrap them in aluminum foil when they come out of the oven, they'll keep warm for hours. Or you can refrigerate (or freeze) them and reheat them later.

Cholesterol: Most pasties have a high cholesterol count.