Traditional Chicken Broth with Pearl Barley

In a saucepan, combine the pearl barley with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and then cook over medium heat for 40 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain well.

Peel the carrots, kohlrabi, and celery root and cut into 1 cm (1/4 inch) dice. Trim and rinse the leeks and slice into rings about 1 cm (1/4 inch) thick. Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and cut into eight pieces. Halve the unpeeled onion and attach the bay leaves to the onion with the cloves. Rinse and dry the thyme.

In a soup pot, combine the thyme, studded onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and chicken. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer for about 1 hour. Lift the chicken pieces from the pot and strain the broth and into a clean pot. Pull the chicken meat from the bones and shred into small pieces.

Rinse and dry the parsley and lovage, pull the leaves from the stems. Pound the herb leaves with parmesan and olive oil in a mortar or with a hand blender into a paste. Mix the herb paste with barley and keep warm.

Return the broth to a boil. Add the diced vegetables to the broth and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the shredded chicken meat and herbed barley to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and let stand briefly.