Recipe - Cajun Shepherds Pie

1 One half pound Ground beef
One half pound Ground pork
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
One half cup Very fine bread crumbs
One fourth pound + 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
Three fourths cup Finely chopped onions
Three fourths cup Finely chopped celery
One half cup Green bell peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon + 1 tsp minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
One half teaspoon Tabasco sauce

MEAT SEASONING MIX
2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 One half teaspoon Salt
1 One half teaspoon Black pepper
1 One fourth teaspoon White pepper
Three fourths teaspoon Ground cumin
Three fourths teaspoon Dried thyme leaves
Three fourths cup Evaporated milk
2 pound Potatoes, peeled & quartere
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon White pepper
1 One half cup Julienned carrots (see note)
1 cup Julienned onions (see note

VEGETABLE SEASONING MIX
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth teaspoon White pepper
One fourth teaspoon Onion powder
One fourth teaspoon Garlic powder
One fourth teaspoon Cayenne pepper

VEGETABLES
1 One half cup Julienned zucchini (see note
1 cup Julienned squash (see Note)
Very Hot Cajun Sauce/Beef

NOTE: To julienne squashes, cut peelings 1/8 inch thick and cut these
into strips 1/8 inch wide and 2 inches long; use only strips that have
skin on one surface. Cut carrots and onions into similar strips.
In a 13x9inch ungreased baking pan, combine the beef and pork. Mix
in the eggs and bread crumbs by hand until thoroughly mixed. Set
aside. In a 1quart saucepan, combine 3 tablespoons of the butter,
the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, Worcestershire, Tabasco and
meat seasoning mix. Saute over high heat about 5 minutes, stirring
frequently and scraping the pan bottom well. Remove from heat and
cool. Add the sauteed vegetable mixture and One fourth cup of the milk to
the meat and mix well by hand. Form into a 12x8inch loaf and center
in the pan. Bake at 450F until brown on top, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; pour off drippings, reserve 2One half tablespoons. Set
meat and drippings aside. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until fork
tender; drain, reserving about 1 cup of the water. Place the
potatoes, while still hot, in a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1
stick butter, One half cup milk, the salt and white pepper. Stir with a
wooden spoon until broken up, then beat with a metal whisk (or
electric mixer with a paddle) until creamy and velvety smooth. (NOTE:
Mix in some of the reserved potato water if potatoes are not creamy
enough.) In a large skillet (preferably nonstick) combine the
reserved drippings with the carrots, onions and vegetable seasoning
mix; saute over high heat 1One half minutes, stirring frequently. Add the
zucchini and yellow squash and continue sauteing until vegetables are
noticeably brighter in color, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat. Mound undrained vegetables on top
of the meat loaf, away from the edges. Layer the mashed potatoes
evenly over the top of the vegetables and top edges of the meat, using
all the potatoes. Bake at 525F until brown on top, about 8 to 10
minutes. Serve immediately with about One half cup Very Hot Cajun Sauce
(see recipe) under each serving. From Paul Prudhommes "Louisiana
Kitchen"

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini