DAY 79 : SPY PROOF TART....

Kids are too cute..
Specially sometimes when they believe all the wild stories , I make up...
Yesterday was one such day..
As my sister is down with her kids...
Its a full, crazy, running, screaming house...
And I wanted some peace..

And some "me" time..

Feel like a Tart ?????

So I decided to make "Flaky Pastry"...
I did not know what I'm going to make with it..
But the whole process of making flaky pastry is very soothing and calming...
So I got together lard, butter, flour , salt and water and started....

And then in the middle of it all, when my hands were into flour , Zeke and Kyle, decided to run around the kitchen and play "Super-Spy"..
I tried getting them out, but no amount of asking, scolding and then later screaming, was helping..
They were talking loudly in the same room to one another on "spy-talkies"

I thought I'm going to go crazy..
And so changed tactics...

Called them and told them I have a secret to tell them, they love secrets..
And so I whispered "I'm a secret agent"...
Zeke and Kyle..stopped talking..
Then Zeke's eyes lit up...
And Kyle looked at me with a smile, I think he must have been saying"all lies" in his head...

But in the next 5 minutes, they were both eating out of the palm of my hand...

I told them that there are cameras all over our home, so I cant talk loudly..
As I'm really not allowed to tell anyone , as it could be dangerous..
And that I have a special phone that connects me to the main office..
And this, went on..
I put my pastry in the fridge to rest...

And was wondering what to make for dinner...
and had tit-bits of stuff at home..
So decided to put it all together and make a tart..

Ingredients...

Onions -1/2 kg

Tomatoes- 2

Bacon Rashers or Chicken salami or Chicken sausage- about 150gm

Green chili- 2

Garlic chopped- about 6

Lamb minced- 1/2 kg

Milk - 350 ml

Eggs -2

Paprika - 1 tsp

Garam Masala or Mixed Spices- 2 tsp

Salt and Pepper to taste

Butter - 2 tbsp

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Wheat flour - 1tsp

Heat a tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a non -stick pan...

Keep 100 ml milk aside..

To the remaining milk add the eggs and beat it well and keep aside...

Add the chili and garlic..

Stir it a bit and add the onions..

Let the onions get very slightly cooked then add the paprika, garam masala and some pepper...

Add the Bacon rashers or chicken salami and the minced lamb..

After about 15 minutes add the tomatoes

Cook it all really well for about 10 minutes more...

Add about 100 ml of the milk and let it cook for 10-15 minutes more , till it all gets creamy...

Take it off the fire and add the wheat flour to it..

Give it a very good stir...

Cool the mix a bit..

Then add the remaining milk that has been blended with eggs..

You get flaky pastry in the market..
If you live out of India..
In Mumbai , some bakery's sell it too..
And so just buy it ready made..if you can...because its a long process to make it...

Roll out your flaky pastry to the size of your tart case...

Do not make it too thin, I kept mine a little more than 1/4 an inch...

Prick the base of the pastry , this stops it from rising while cooking ...

Add the filling , but not till the top...as it rises while baking...

Grate some mozzarella cheese over it ..

And bake it at 200 degrees for 35 minutes if its a 7 inch tart ring ...

And a little more depending on how big a tart you are making..

Cook it till you see that the flaky pastry is nice and brown and has left the sides of the pan..

The cheese will burn, please do not let that scare you ...

So while all this got ready, I was being asked questions about my first spy assignment!
Do spy's only wear black?
How many gadgets do I have..
Do I have my own aeroplane?
Do I have a partner?
How many cases have I worked on?
Do all spy's do yoga?
Does my phone and my car transform?
Do my boots help me fly?
Am I stronger than a guy?

And then like "Calvin and Hobbes"..they made a transmogrifer....
Out of a carton...and very happily chucked all my books out of it ..
And used up all my little note papers to write codes and draw maps..
So now I have two little secret agents Z1 and K1..
Who have begged me to tell my boss to "Please make them part of the spy union, PLEASE ...PLEASE PLEASE..." were the exact words...

So I told them, that there are rules..
1. You cannot tell anyone, that I am a spy..
2. You have to first learn to talk softly..
3. You have to be fantastic in your studies, specially since you will need maths, science, history and geography in all field work..
4. Have to learn at least one foreign language..
5. Need to play at least one musical instrument(Zeke says drums, so I'm doomed)
6. Have to be super in martial arts..
7. Must know how to cook.
8.  Must be able to make friends with animals..
9. Must treat all girls and everyone smaller than them with care.
10. And the most important of all, must start with first listening to Mama, because you cannot do anything you want when you work as a spy, you have to follow orders and listen to instructions...

Ha ha ha , I was rolling on the floor laughing inside my head, looking at the wonderment in their eyes..
And then I notched it up a bit..
I looked and Zeke and told him"Baby last year, when I went to London for my chefs course"...
"You were on a secret mission???" he completed...
"And you were only pretending to cook?"...
Ha ha ha I love little boys...

And at the end of 30 minutes, the tart was ready..
Steaming hot and the aroma was bursting with excitement...
Zene, who also wants to be a trainee spy, helped me set the table..
Zeke , Kyle , Cruz and Zene...

Sat down and ate without any "choo-cha"...
"Awesome Mama, awesome"..
I think that's their favorite word...
Then I pretended like it was some work call , and told them that , they are being watched and if they follow all the rules, then after they have finished their studies ...
They may get chosen as secret spy's...

I sometimes am amazed at my imagination...
And more at the innocence of little kids..
They live life full of wonderment..
And I live it with them...
I love today...
I love tomorrow..
And I love my yesterday...because it made me find so many little things about me today ...


And so as I take a bite, the crunch of the flaky pastry and softness of the filling...makes a wholesome tasty bite of complete comfort...
I'm thinking this can get very very addictive...
Hmmmm ...its the perfect meal for a Saturday night..
And so here's presenting, "Spy Proof Tart"...hot out of the oven and straight onto a plate ....
Only from "Maria's Kitchen".....

P.S. ANd as im posting this, I have been asked by my Zeke to please take him to my head- quarters to meet my team....ha ha ha ...

Dear God,
I thank you eternally , for making me a mom, and giving me these little ones...
And a chance to feel a love so pure, that wants nothing in return...
Your Favourite,
Maria...