tim o'toole's famous stuffed quahogs

Ingredients

• Servings: 23-24
• 4 cups water
• 1 (16 ounce) package portuguese chourico sausage links
• 12 quahogs
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 (12 ounce) package chicken-flavored bread stuffing mix (such as kraft® stove top®)
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup butter

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Ready Time: 1 hr


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
• bring water to a boil over high heat. add sausage links; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. remove links from broth; reserve the broth. remove casings from the sausage.
• bring the broth back to a simmer and add the quahogs; cook until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. remove the quahogs; reserve the broth. remove the cooked quahogs from the shells. separate the shell halves. if necessary wash the shells.
• place the sausage and quahog meat into the bowl of a food processor; process until chopped, about 12 seconds, depending on your processor. scrape mixture into a bowl. add chopped onion to the processor; chop about 5 seconds. stir in to the meat mixture.
• make the full container of stuffing according to package directions, using the margarine, and substituting the sausage/clam broth for water. there may be more broth than you need.
• mix together the stuffing and sausage/clam/onion mixture. spoon filling into empty clam shell halves and top each with a small pat of butter (about a third of a teaspoon).
• place the shells on a baking pan; bake in the preheated oven until toasty brown on top, 15 to 20 minutes.