Clams With Bacon And Tomatoes

Served with grilled ciabatta toasts.

Ingredients:
6 slices applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup chopped drained roasted red bell peppers from jar
6 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup plus 2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparing the clams:
Heat large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and onion; sauté until bacon is crisp around edges and onion starts to brown, stirring, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice and peppers; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add clams, cover, and boil until clams open, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes (discard any clams that do not open). Stir in 1/4 cup parsley. Divide among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons parsley.

Serves 4