Recipe no. 39 from Jean-Baptiste Reboul's La Cuisinière provençale (1909), page 26.
Ingredients
- 2 or 3 leeks
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 dozen crabs
- 2 litres of water
- Sprig of fennel
- Sprig of celery
- Bay leaf
- Salt
- Pepper
- 250 g of thick vermicelli
- A good pinch of saffron
Preparation
- Browning the leeksSlice 2 or 3 leeks and brown them in a saucepan with 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
- GarnishesAdd 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 dozen well-washed crabs.
- SauteingGive a few more turns over the heat.
- MoisteningMoisten with 2 litres of water.
- FlavouringAdd a sprig of fennel and of celery, a bay leaf.
- SeasoningSeason with salt and pepper.
- CookingLet cook 20 minutes.
- StrainingStrain the broth into another saucepan.
- BoilingAs soon as it comes to a boil, throw in about 250 g of thick vermicelli and a good pinch of saffron.
- LegsPull the legs off the crabs and throw them into the soup.
- FinishLet them finish cooking with the vermicelli.
Reboul's text
Slice 2 or 3 leeks, brown them in a saucepan with 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 dozen well-washed crabs; give a few more turns over the heat and moisten with 2 litres of water; add a sprig of fennel and of celery, a bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and let cook 20 minutes.
Strain the broth into another saucepan and, as soon as it comes to a boil, throw in about 250 g of thick vermicelli and a good pinch of saffron.
When saffron threads can be had, it is preferable; they should then be finely chopped.
Pull the legs off the crabs, throw them into the soup and let them finish cooking with the vermicelli.
Small Provençal glossary for this recipe
Reboul writes in French: no Provençal word appears in this recipe, apart from the dish's name itself. The table below gives the Provençal equivalents of the words used, in mistralian spelling, translated by Lingua Nostra. Each form is attested in our Provençal-English dictionary; click to open the entry.
| Provençal | English |
|---|---|
| pòrri | leeks |
| òli | olive oil |
| toumàti | tomato |
| aiet | garlic |
| tourtèu | crabs |
| aigo | water |
| fenoui | fennel |
| àpi | celery |
| laurié | bay leaf |
| sau | salt |
Source: Jean-Baptiste Reboul, La Cuisinière provençale, Marseille, 1909, recipe no. 39, page 26. Public domain. Transcription, formatting and Provençal glossary by Lingua Nostra.