Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons pure olive oil
2. 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Spanish onion
3. 1 celery rib, finely chopped
4. 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
6. One 28-ounce can peeled whole plum tomatoes
7. 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
8. 1 teaspoon finely chopped marjoram
9. 1 bay leaf
10. 1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed, sausages cut into 1-inch pieces
11. 1 pound short tubular pasta, such as ditalini or tubetti
12. 1/4 cup dry white wine
13. 2 dozen small clams, scrubbed and rinsed
14. 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
15. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16. 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and half of the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, marjoram and bay leaf, cover partially and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
2. Heat a large skillet. Add the sausages and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the sausages to a dish. 
3. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again. 
4. In a large saucepan, heat the wine with the remaining garlic. Add the clams, cover and cook over moderately high heat until they open, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a bowl and let cool, then remove the clams from their shells. Strain the cooking liquid, leaving behind any grit. 
5. Reheat the tomato sauce in a large saucepan. Add the sausages and cook over moderate heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta, clam liquid and crushed red pepper and reheat thoroughly, about 8 minutes. Add the clams and season with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.
   

Make Ahead

The recipe can be prepared through Step 4. Refrigerate the clams in their cooking liquid and the other components separately for up to 1 day.