PASTA PAELLA WITH CLAMS AND SPICY SAUSAGE

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini
4 plum tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces fiedeos (Spanish dried coiled vermicelli noodles), or 6 ounces thin spaghetti broken into 2 inch pieces
¼ pound hot Italian sausage links
1 ¼ cups water
¾ cup dry white wine
12 small hard shelled clams such as littlenecks (less than 2 inches in diameter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preparation:

Cut zucchini and tomatoes into ½ inch pieces and keep vegetables separate. Chop onion and mince garlic.

In a heavy kettle, heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, sauté uncooked pasta until golden, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer pasta to a bowl.

In oil remaining in kettle, sauté zucchini with salt to taste, stirring occasionally until browned, about 3 minutes, and transfer to another bowl.

Squeeze sausage from casings into kettle and add onion and garlic. Sauté mixture, stirring and breaking up sausage, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, water and wine and bring to a boil.

Add pasta and clams and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes, or until clams are opened and pasta is al dente. (Discard any unopened clams)

Stir in zucchini and parsley and cook until heated through.