Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　1 cup thin string beans (or thicker string beans halved lengthwise) or haricots verts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

　　1 cup fresh corn kernels

　　6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the finished dish if you like

　　8 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

　　One 14-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), with their liquid, coarsely crushed (about 1 3/4 cups)

　　1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock (see recipe, page 76) or water

　　1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper, or to taste

　　Salt

　　4 dozen littleneck, Manila, or butter clams, cleaned as described on page 7, but not shucked

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

　　Fried Bread “Clog” (page 11) or lightly toasted sliced country-style bread

　　

Step 1

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the string beans and cook 3 minutes. Stir in the corn and cook until the vegetables are tender but still firm, about 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.

　　

Step 2

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add 4 of the garlic cloves and cook, shaking the pan, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes and vegetable stock or water, sprinkle with the crushed red pepper, and season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to simmering. Cook, partially covered, until the tomatoes are softened and the soup is slightly reduced, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide 4-quart casserole. Add the remaining 4 cloves garlic and cook, shaking the casserole, until the garlic is golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Slide the clams into the casserole, cover with a lid, and cook 2 minutes, shaking the pan several times. Pour the tomato-stock mixture into the casserole, stir in the string beans and corn, and bring to a vigorous boil. Cook, covered, until the clams open, about 4 minutes. Stir the clams once or twice so they cook evenly. Remove from the heat, discard any clams that haven’t opened, and stir in the parsley and basil. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Divide the clams among warm soup bowls and, if you like, drizzle each bowl with a little extra-virgin olive oil. Pass a basket of the zoccoli or bread separately.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.