SAUSAGES WITH EGGS

1984, Kofinou. Just before Christmas, my mother would spend many hours in a small room next to our house, where she smoked the sausages. We would watch the thick smoke from the opposite window and pray she wouldn't need our help, because we were afraid the smoke would choke us. However, when she called us to help her, I won't hide that the whole process, even through the clouds of smoke, fascinated me. I remember her putting minced pork into large bowls and then pouring in plenty of dry red wine until the mince was completely covered. She would leave the mince in the wine for about eight days, stirring it occasionally and adding more wine if she felt it was necessary. “It doesn't need a fridge, it's winter,” she would tell us emphatically. Then she would salt it and add coriander and mastic (schinos). She would fill the casings, prick them with a 'spligka' (needle) to let the air out, and tie them intricately, creating two ropes of 6-8 sausages each. She would place them on the large, high bar (beam) and leave them there for a whole day. The next day, she would create a 'nistia' (hearth) where she lit a fire with carob wood, olive wood, and chamomile wood, and she would place the sausages near the chimney, smoking them intermittently for two days. She would leave them hanging for about 5-6 days to dry, and then they were ready to eat… And of course, they were delicious.