Peas, Mint and Mozarella Tarts with Caramelised Onions & a Whole Wheat Olive oil Crust

Taking some time away from the normal humdrum of life is one of the best things one can do to rejuvenate oneself emotionally and physically. Though I missed blogging and blog hopping terribly the winter break with the holiday spirit did recharge my senses and clear my head. These few days of travel, relaxing ,meeting family and friends and No Cooking gave the much needed rest that every being craves for. Kids are facing the “back to school blues” and to send them to school everyday happy and chirpy has become a Herculean task for me.

I bid adieu to the year with a digital detox as I misplaced my cell phone in all the excitement and by the time I got it back after 3 long days I realised I felt more relaxed and mentally rejuvenated. And this week as I went through the old messages the Foodie Monday Bloghop Whatsapp window jolted me to reality. And here I am back to the grind and geared up for the theme Peas for the 75 th Foodie Monday Bloghop.

In the winters when the vegetable market is flooded with mounds of green pea pods, I buy them in large quantities. And I must admit that shelling all those peas isn’t my favourite activity though having those sweet, fresh, bright green peas at hand to toss in a salad or cook them in a curry or stew, mash them for a Matar Paratha or just braise them with a little butter and mint is the ultimate indulgence of the season.

For the Bloghop I rustled up some quick, savoury, comforting tarts with a whole wheat and olive oil crust. The filling is a Classic combo of sweet green peas, mint, mozzarella, spring onions in a egg and cream mixture and topped with caramelised onions and grated Mozarella.

Making a Pie or Tart crust is a daunting feat for many. You might be a great Pie Baker but the thought of introducing whole wheat into the whole equation will surely give a pause. The Whole Wheat crust screams health and is less flaky than it’s All purpose flour counterpart ,the dough is more darker and grainy and crumbly too. It absorbs more liquid than the APF dough. The shortening and the butter give structure and flakiness to the crust and in its absence you will not get the fancy fluted edges of a tart.

Well, creating a whole wheat crust is worth all the effort if you want to enjoy the nutritional benefits of whole wheat and enjoy an extra tart.Enjoy these heartwarming tarts this winter with this simple recipe.

 

Peas, Mint and Mozarella Tarts with Caramelised Onions & a Whole Wheat Olive oil Crust

Print Recipe

Savoury comforting tarts with a herbed whole wheat Flour crust and creamy filling with peas, Mint and Mozarella topped with sweet caramelised onions.

• Courseappetizer
• Cuisinecontinental

Servings	Prep Time
8 piece	20 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
20 minutes	30 minutes

Servings Prep Time 8 piece 20 minutes

Cook Time Passive Time 20 minutes 30 minutes

Peas, Mint and Mozarella Tarts with Caramelised Onions & a Whole Wheat Olive oil Crust Print Recipe Savoury comforting tarts with a herbed whole wheat Flour crust and creamy filling with peas, Mint and Mozarella topped with sweet caramelised onions. Courseappetizer Cuisinecontinental Servings Prep Time 8 piece 20 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 20 minutes 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 8 piece 20 minutes Cook Time Passive Time 20 minutes 30 minutes

Ingredients

• whole wheat For the crust
• 1 Cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 Cup olive oil , Extra Virgin
• to taste salt
• 1/2 Cup water Cold
• 1 Cup Peas , shelled
• 1/2 Cup spring onion chopped
• 1/4 Cup Mint chopped
• 1 egg large
• 100 gms fresh cream
• 1/2 Cup mozzarella cheese Grated
• 1 onion , Sliced long and fine
• to taste Salt Pepper and
• 1 tsp sugar

Servings: piece

Instructions

1. For the crust, Whisk the whole wheat Flour with herbs and salt.Add the oil and work the oil with the flour with your fingers till the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Gradually add the cold water and form a smooth dough, add a little extra water if necessary.Remember that water takes away the flakiness from the crust, so add only that much to hold the dough together.
3. Roll out the dough on a lightly dusted surface in a circle of quarter inch thickness according to the size of the tart pans.Once rolled pick up the circle on your rolling pin and fill the greased tart pans.
4. Gently press it in with your fingers to fill the insides of the tart pans and roll over the rolling pin on the sides of the pans so that the extra dough falls off.Repeat the process till the tart pans are filled with the dough.
5. Chill the filled tart pans in the fridge for half an hour.
6. Remove after 30 minutes , prick the base witha fork and bake them blind with kidney beans or rice for 10-15 minutes in a Preheated oven at 180 deg C.
7. Meanwhile prepare the filling by boiling the peas with a little salt till done.Grind the peas ( leaving aside a few for garnish ) in a mixer grinder till they become a coarse paste.
8. Add the chopped spring onions, chopped Mint leaves ,Egg, Cream, Mozarella ( leaving aside a little for garnish ), salt and Pepper to the ground boiled peas and mix.
9. Fry the sliced onions with sugar in oil in a pan till dark brown and crispy.
10. Fill the half baked tart shells with the filling , top the filling with peas, caramelised onions and the grated Mozarella and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes at 180 deg C.

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