Baked Spanish Rice with Seafood and Sausage

1 (6 1/2 ounce) can chopped clams
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can reduced-sodium peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
1/2 pound turkey kielbasa sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 bell peppers (red and yellow or green), stemmed,
    seeded and thinly sliced
1 small bulb fennel, cored and finely chopped
About 6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup dry white wine or 3 tablespoons chicken
    broth mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Optional: 1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound medium-size cooked, peeled and deveined prawns
8 black olives (Kalamata or oil-cured), pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Drain the juice from the clams into a 4-cup measuring cup. Refrigerate the clams. Drain the juice from the tomatoes into the measuring cup; reserve the tomatoes. Pour the bottled clam juice into the cup; add water to equal 3 1/4 cups liquid.

Remove the skin from the kielbasa; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When hot, put the kielbasa into the pan and sauté until golden and cooked through. Remove from the pan.

Put the remaining oil into the pan. Add the onion and sauté 4 minutes.

Stir the garlic, bell peppers and fennel into the onions. Add a couple of tablespoons water and sauté the vegetables until softened, about 10 minutes. Add additional water if necessary to keep the vegetables moist.

Put the tomatoes into the pan along with the wine or broth mixture and saffron. Simmer 5 minutes. Put the rice into the pan, stirring to coat with the vegetable mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the clam juice mixture into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring well. Cover and put on center rack of oven. Bake 20 minutes.

Spread the clams, kielbasa, shrimp and olives on top of the rice; do not stir in at this point. Recover the pan, put back into the oven and cook 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and fold all of the ingredients together. Set aside, covered, 10 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 servings