Quahog Stuffies

• 12 quahogs, washed well
• 1/4 cup white wine (or water)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage (sweet or hot), removed from casing and crumbled
• 4 cups coarsely chopped stale bread (crusts removed)
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup minced fennel
• 1/4 cup minced sweet red pepper
• 1/4 cup minced green pepper
• 1/4 cup minced celery
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine quahogs and wine in a large pot, bring to boil, cover and cook until clams are just open.
3. Cool, drain, reserving broth.
4. Remove clams from shells, saving 12 shell halves.
5. Chop clams coarsely and set aside.
6. Strain broth through coffee filter and set aside.
7. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and brown sausage.
8. In a food processor, combine the clams, broth, and sausage with remaining ingredients and process until well blended.
9. Taste to check seasonings.
10. Divide mixture and scoop into the 12 shell halves.
11. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.
12. Yield: 12 servings
13. How to Shuck a Quahog: Place quahogs in a large pot over medium heat with water just covering them.
14. As quahogs slowly open, remove them from the water.
15. Allow to cool.
16. Using a knife, slit the sides to fully open the clam.
17. Scoop out the insides and reserve with juice in a separate bowl.
18. The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens.
19. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.

quahogs, white wine, olive oil, italian sausage, bread, onion, fennel, sweet red pepper, green pepper, celery, fresh parsley, thyme, red pepper, salt

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/quahog-stuffies-recipe.html (may not work)