There’s an Italian version of paella – from Sardinia where it's called paella algherese. This newer addition to the canon of Italian cuisine dates back to just 2003, having been crafted to mark the 900th anniversary of the Catalan colonization in the town of Alghero. In essence, it's a paella that swaps rice for fregola pasta and contains fish, sausage, and chicken.
Paella algherese recipe
This is one of those dishes that's cooked by eye, so we've listed the ingredients and included the cooking instructions. You just have to estimate the quantities.
Ingredients
mussels
onion, chopped
sausage, crumbled
chicken breast, cut into small pieces
yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
tomatoes
peas
saffron, dissolved in a little broth
fregola pasta
vegetable broth
squid, cut into rings
shrimp
bottarga
extra-virgin olive oil
In one pan, cook the mussels.
In a paella pan, fry the onion in extra-virgin olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and the chicken breast pieces.
After a few minutes, add the yellow bell pepper. Let cook for a few minutes then add (in this order) the tomatoes, peas, dissolved saffron, and the fregola.
Add the vegetable broth continuously to keep the ingredients from burning.
After the pasta has cooked, add the squid rings.
After 5 minutes, add the shrimp with some of the cooking broth from the mussels. Cook for a few minutes then add the shelled mussels.
Sprinkle with bottarga and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Spanish and Arab influences
Sardinia's Spanish domination started in 1297 and continued until 1708. Peter IV, the King of Aragon, occupied the city of Alghero in 1534 which led to the arrival of Catalan settlers. The language and traditions of their homeland are still evident in Alghero today. The 2003 paella, is the evolution of a Sardinian dish, the pilau, a fregola pasta and seafood preparation found in the southern part of the island.
Pilau is made by browning the shellfish in oil with chopped onion, followed by the addition of other ingredients like fresh tomatoes, basil, pepper, white wine, and fregola pasta, garnished with a little red chili pepper and parsley. This dish has Arabic origins, most likely inspired by couscous brought by Genoese settlers who fled Tunisia for the towns of Carloforte and Calasetta in the 18th century. Though the name pilau, which recalls the term pilaf, could also be derived from other Mediterranean rice-based dishes.