Clam And Fregola Soup

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
• 3 pounds steamer clams, well scrubbed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup fregola
• 2 cups stewed tomatoes, crushed, with their juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups bottled clam juice, if necessary
• 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley

1. In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil.
2. Add the garlic, onion and chili pepper, and cook over medium heat 5 minutes.
3. Raise heat to high, and add the steamers, 1 cup water and the wine.
4. Cover pot, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until clams begin to open.
5. Use tongs to remove clams, leaving as much juice as possible in the pot.
6. Add fregola and tomatoes and their juice to the pot, reduce heat to simmer, and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Cover pot, and simmer 20 minutes, checking occasionally to be sure that not all the liquid has evaporated.
8. If necessary to maintain soupy consistency, add water or bottled clam juice, a quarter cup at a time.
9. After 20 minutes, remove lid and continue to simmer until fregola is tender.
10. Meanwhile, pick the meat from the clams and discard the shells.
11. When fregola is tender, stir in the clam meat as well as additional bottled clam juice, if necessary, and serve immediately, garnished with parsley.

olive oil, garlic, onion, chili pepper, steamer clams, white wine, fregola, tomatoes, salt, clam juice, flat leaf parsley

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7769 (may not work)