Paella algherese

To prepare the Alghero paella, wash and clean the mussels well (you can follow the procedure indicated in the cooking guide "How to Clean and Open Mussels"), then place them in a pot 1, cover with a lid, and let them open over high heat for a few minutes 2. Once all the mussels have opened, strain the cooking liquid and set everything aside 3.

Clean and cut the squid into rings 4 (for more details, you can follow the instructions found in the cooking school video "How to clean squid"), cut the chicken into pieces 5, then crumble the sausage with your hands 6.

Wash the yellow bell pepper, remove the seeds and internal filaments, then cut it into strips 7. Wash and also clean the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and cut them into pieces 8. At this point, finely chop the onion and place it, along with 4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, in the paella pan (or a non-stick skillet) with a diameter of about 12.6 inches 9.

Sauté the onion over low heat, adding a ladle of chicken broth to prevent it from burning 10, then add the sausage 11 and chicken 12.

Let the meats brown for a few minutes, then add the bell pepper 13, tomatoes 14, and lastly, the shelled and drained peas 15.

Add some broth (about a ladle) and the saffron, which you have dissolved in a small amount of broth 16, then let everything cook for a few minutes. Add the fregola, stirring 17, and the remaining broth 18 (we recommend keeping a couple of ladles aside to add if the paella becomes too dry);

cover everything with the mussel cooking liquid, which you had set aside. Let the paella cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes (the cooking time for fregola can vary: check what is written on the fregola package you have). After 10 minutes, during which you should have checked the fregola frequently and added broth if necessary, add the squid 20 and, after 5 minutes, also the prawns 21.

Now just add the last element: the mussels. Remove one of the two shells, the one without the mollusk 22, then, towards the end of cooking, add the mussels to the paella 23 (about 3 minutes before turning off the heat). Once the Alghero paella is ready, pepper to taste and plate. Finally, grate plenty of mullet bottarga into thin slices on each plate 34 and, if you like, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.