Cooking: One chicken chicken soup

I actually used Karen Martini's recipe that was in The Sunday Age's Life magazine earlier this year. However there are just too many ingredients and steps. The concept behind it is all you need, change it to suit your fridge/taste.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

vegies of own choice (carrots, celery, onion...)
salt and whole peppercorns
herbs of you're choice (thyme/rosemary)
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
 a few mushrooms of choice (choose strong flavoured type eg porcini, shiitake), rehydrated if dried and diced.
150g pasta, optional if you want to make chicken noodle soup
frozen peas, corn, optional.

Method:

1. Remove the two breasts off the chicken. Chop up all the vegies however you like (not too small as they will cook for a while). Place the chicken carcass with the legs still attached, vegies, a few peppercorns and herbs in a stockpot. Fill up with water just enough to cover and simmer for 45 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile cook the shallots and garlic in some oil until cooked then cool. Dice up the chicken breasts roughly and place into the food processor with a generous sprinkling of salt. Blitz for a minute until it is quite gelatinous, add the cooled shallots mixture and mushrooms. Blitz again until combined. Set aside. 
3. Skim the soup of oil. Then take the chicken out and place the pasta in. Shred all the meat on the chicken. Set aside.
4. Add the frozen corn and peas, bring back to the boil. Drop spoonfuls of the chicken mince mixture into the rolling boil soup. Cook until the meatballs are floating then add back in the shredded chicken. Taste and season accordingly. 
5. Serve.