Snack time

“Nem ca l’è ura”- come on, it’s time! My grandmother used to wake me up in the morning with this sentence, strictly in dialect, and I would immediately jump out of bed. She thought she was impressing me with her lovingly peremptory command, what drove me to run to the kitchen was actually the smell of the ham toast she made me every morning to take to school. 

My grandmother was ahead of modern nutritional trends, no snacks, or other industrial sweets!

I continued this habit throughout my schooling, making myself something nutritious and tasty to nibble on mid-morning.

Sweet or savoury? I liked to alternate, why choose!

One day I would make my own focaccia but stuffed (or rather, very stuffed) with cooked ham and cheese. And, again to honour my grandmother’s memory, the sweet choice would be bread pudding, an energy bomb.

Too bad the lesson break was always too short, just as the carefree school days went by too quickly.

But I kept these sweet and savoury memories alive by continuing with the tradition of preparing my own snacks at home even now,

I only replaced the school desk with the office desk.
Over the years, the snack recipe book has expanded, always preserving convenience and speed in making them as the primary rule.

My current favourites? Savoury pies with sun-dried tomatoes and, being a true chocolate lover, chocolate biscuits.

“A in propri bun”, they are really good, my grandmother would say with a smile.