Hen soup with liver dumplings

• Clean the chicken and wash it thoroughly. Place it in the bottom of a large pot.

  Pour cold water over it so that it covers the meat. Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil. When it boils, foam will form on the surface. Remove this with a strainer. Repeat the process until no more foam forms. Then lower the heat so that the soup simmers gently.
• Now it's time for the salt. You can add the whole black peppercorns straight away, but if you don't want to pick them out one by one at the end, I recommend putting them in a tea egg. Fill the bottom of the tea egg with whole black peppercorns and simply hang it in the soup. This way, you can remove it all at once at the end.
• Wash an onion with the skin on. Cut it in half. Fry the cut side down in a dry pan, then add it to the soup. You can do the same with a head of garlic.
• Simmer the soup for 2-3 hours. This depends on the quality of the meat. After 2 hours, check how tender it is and cook for longer if necessary.
• Add the vegetables 1 hour after boiling. Clean the soup vegetables and leave them in large pieces, then add them when the meat is almost tender. The key is to cook them at the same time so that the vegetables do not overcook and remain bite-sized.
• When everything is tender, remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon.
• It is worth letting the finished soup rest for at least 30 minutes, then straining it. If you want a very clear, almost fat-free soup, you can also use a cloth diaper. I simply pour the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowls. The strainer is needed to filter out any bone fragments that may remain in the soup.

Preparation of liver dumplings:

• Soak the bread roll in water or milk (or a mixture of both).
• Fry the finely chopped onion in a little oil until golden brown, then add the parsley and continue to heat for a few minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, then add the bread rolls that have been soaked in water/milk and squeezed dry.
• Wash the liver. If there is any membrane on it, remove it and cut it into small cubes. Add it to the breadcrumb mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and marjoram. Then pour everything into a food processor or blender and blend until creamy. When ready, pour into a mixing bowl. Add the egg and breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. It should not be runny. If it is not thick enough, add more breadcrumbs. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, dip your hands in water and form cherry-sized balls, placing them on a plate. If you don't want to touch them, you can use two teaspoons to shape them.
• Remove some of the soup into a smaller pot and cook the liver dumplings in it. (At the end, it is worth pouring this cooking liquid back into the rest of the broth. This broth will make the soup much spicier.) Bring the soup to a boil when you add the dumplings, so 10 minutes is enough. When ready, remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm until serving.

Serving the soup:

• Chop up the cooked soup vegetables and mix them together on the plate. Slice the meat, then dice it and place it on the bottom of the plate. Add a few liver dumplings. Add cooked pasta to taste. Pour hot soup over it. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and it's ready to eat.