Tastes Like Chicken!

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 lb broiler-fryer whole chicken, cut up
• 8 C water
• 1 stalk celery (with leaves), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 med carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 med onion, cut into fourths
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 t salt
• 1 t black peppercorns
• Snipped parsley
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• TORTELLINI (See NOTE):
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg, separated
• 2 T water
• 1 T olive or vegetable oil
• 1 1/8 t salt
• Reserved 3/4 C finely chopped chicken
• 2 T grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 t grated lemon peel
• Dash ground mace
• Dash pepper

Instructions

1. SOUP — Place the chicken, 6 cups of the water, celery, carrot, onion, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, and peppercorns in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the thickest pieces of chicken are cooked through, about 45 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken. Strain the broth, discarding the cooked vegetables and seasonings. Refrigerate chicken and broth separately until cool.
4. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. If making homemade tortellini, finely chop 3/4 cup of the dark meat for the filling; cover and refrigerate. Cut the remaining chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the broth.
5. HOMEMADE TORTELLINI DOUGH — Make a well in the flour. Add 1 whole egg, the white from the separated egg, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix with a fork and gather into a ball; add a few drops of water if too dry.
6. Knead on a lightly floured board until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
7. TORTELLINI FILLING — Mix the reserved 3/4 cup finely chopped chicken with the remaining egg yolk, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, lemon peel, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, mace, and pepper.
8. SHAPE THE TORTELLINI — Divide the dough in half. Roll one half into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured board and cut into twenty 2-inch circles. Repeat with the other half.
9. Put 1/4 teaspoon filling in the center of each circle. Moisten the edge with water, fold into a half-moon, and press with a fork to seal.
10. To form rings, stretch the two tips slightly, wrap them around your index finger, moisten one tip, and gently press the tips together. Set the shaped tortellini on a tray. Cover and refrigerate for no longer than 24 hours.
11. FINISH THE SOUP — Skim fat from the chilled broth. Add the remaining 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the fresh, uncooked tortellini and return to a boil.
12. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the homemade tortellini are tender, about 30 minutes, as directed in the original recipe. Make sure the filling and pasta are cooked through.
13. Serve the chicken, tortellini, and broth in bowls, sprinkled with snipped parsley. Pass grated Parmesan cheese at the table.
14. SHORTCUT — You may substitute 1 package commercial fresh tortellini for the homemade tortellini. Do not precook it; add it to the boiling broth and cook according to package directions until tender (rather than automatically using the homemade pasta cooking time).
15. MAKE-AHEAD NOTE (original cookbook) — Broth and homemade tortellini may be frozen separately for no longer than 2 weeks. To serve, bring the broth and 2 cups water to a boil, add frozen tortellini without thawing, and simmer until cooked through; the original recipe specifies about 40 minutes.