Chicken Vegetable Soup with Tortellini and Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 bundle mirepoix vegetables
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 dried juniper berries
• 1 dried chili pepper
• 3 Carrots
• 1 leek stalk
• 400 g Broccoli
• 1 red bell pepper
• 250 g ricotta-filled tortellini (preferably whole wheat)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 30 g Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the chicken and place it in a tall pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam with a ladle. Clean, wash, and roughly chop the mirepoix vegetables. Add them to the pot along with the bay leaf, juniper berries, and chili pepper, and simmer on low heat for about 3 hours.

2. 2.

   Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool. Strain the broth through a sieve and allow it to cool as well; skim off any fat if desired.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, peel and slice the carrots into rounds. Clean, wash, and cut the leek into rings. Wash and break the broccoli into florets, peeling and finely chopping the stem. Wash the bell pepper, halve it, remove seeds, and dice into small cubes.

4. 4.

   Pull the chicken meat from the bones and shred it; optionally remove the skin.

5. 5.

   Bring the broth back to a boil, add the vegetables and shredded chicken, and cook for 6–8 minutes over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   In the meantime, cook the tortellini according to package instructions and drain. Distribute the tortellini in soup bowls and ladle the soup over them. Grate Parmesan on top and serve.