PICKLES, HOT SAUCES & PESTO | 43 **PICKLING SPICE Saba: Look for pickling spice at a supermarket or spices shop (I like McCormick) or make your own: 1 Tbs whole allspice 1 Tbs whole black peppercorns 2 Tbs whole mustard seeds 1 Tbs whole cloves 2 tsp whole coriander seeds 2 tsp ground dried ginger 2 bay leaves crumbled 1 cinnamon stick smashed/crumbled Shake ingredients in a jar and keep closed. SABA WRITES: My mother Queenie loved playing poker. She was part of a group of about 10 women poker friends of whom seven played 3 or 4 times a week at the various homes. I know they played for money but I don’t know the stakes. No less important than the game was the full dinner buffet and of course the gossiping the next morning about the other women. Poker was so important to my mother that I wanted to find out what the attraction was all about. So one evening, in my pajamas, when I was supposed to be in bed, I crawled under the dining table before the game started. The table cloth covered the sides so no one could see me. I intended to stay a short while but there was no way I could get out without being seen so I had to stay under the table for hours listening to something unintelligible to me until everyone went home.. To make matters worse the aroma of the delicious food was mouthwatering and I couldn’t eat any of it. When all of them had gone home – usually with a woman taxi driver who was privy to all the gossip – I quietly went to bed none the wiser. Saba with his mother Queenie and Fern
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