Stuffed Quahogs
Ingredients
- 2 doz quahogs, scrubbed clean, minced or chopped in food processor
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ lb linguica, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp sage
- ¼ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp allspice
- paprika for sprinkling on top
- 1 loaf Italian bread, cubed
- 1½ cups reserved liquid after steaming quahogs
How-to
- Make sure all quahogs are closed tightly. If any are open, throw them away
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Steam quahogs in about 1" of boiling water until they open. Reserve liquid and strain
- Remove quahogs from shells, clean and reserve shells. Finely chop quahogs or grind in food processor. Set aside
- Saute onions, garlic and red pepper in butter and olive oil until onions are translucent
- Add linguica and saute for 2 minutes longer and set mixture aside
- Shred bread in a food processor to breadcrumb consistency and place in a large bowl. Add vegetables, quahogs and enough of the reserved cooking liquid to combine all ingredients so that they will clump in your hand
- Fill shells with mixture, forming a nice rounded top and sprinkle with paprika
- Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes (or cook in a microwave for 1¼ minutes)
Optional - Top each cooked quahog with a pad of butter!
Note - Stuffed quahogs freeze well wrapped in freezer bags. Increase cooking time accordingly or thaw in the refrigerator before cooking