Debeard mussels. Soak mussels and clams in tap water for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain. Repeat 2 more times. Reserve.

In a saute pan, heat the butter and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until glossy, do not brown.

Over high heat, add mussels and clams. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Add clam juice and bay leaf, cover, and steam until shellfish opens, about 3 minutes. Pull out shellfish and reserve. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Reduce the liquid by half, add tomatoes, cooked pasta, reserved shellfish, and parsley. Toss until well blended. Serve immediately.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

In a pot of boiling water, blanch tomatoes. Drain and refresh in ice water. Drain. Peel, core, cut into quarters, and remove seeds.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the tomato quarters on the tray, cut side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and garlic. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and sugar, and sprinkle evenly over the tomatoes.

Bake until the tomatoes begin to shrivel, about 1 hour. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, transfer to a container. Pour olive oil over and cover the container. Refrigerate and use as needed.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups

Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!," Random House, 2000