Baked Stuffed Clams

40 cherrystone clams
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Paprika for sprinkling
10 lemon wedges for garnish

Scrub the quahogs and place them in a large kettle with enough water to
barely cover the bottom. Cover the kettle and steam over medium heat until
the clams open, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the clam meat and reserve
half of the shells for stuffing. Reserve the clam broth. Chop the clams
into small pieces or process briefly in a food processor. Place the clams
in a large bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Heat the oil in
a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until the
mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry, cook 1 minute more
and remove from the heat. Combine the clams with the onion, chives,
parsley, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and just enough
clam broth to bind the mixture. Stuff the mixture into the reserved clam
shells. Arrange them on a baking dish and sprinkle the tops with paprika.
Bake until golden brown and thoroughly heated, about 15 to 20 minutes. (If
you are using cherrystones, they will heat in about 10 minutes). Serve the
clams hot with the lemon wedges.