Serves 4-6

8 cups mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
5 tablespoon butter
¼ cup white wine such as a chardonnay (optional)
1 onion, diced small
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
8 cups vegetable or beef stock
1 cup barley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoon cornstarch
In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and add the mushrooms. Sauté over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms are slightly golden, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking. After the first few minutes, add the white wine, if using, and a small pinch of salt.
Remove the mushrooms from the pot and add 1 tablespoon of butter, the onion and the garlic. Sauté for about seven minutes until the onion softens a bit, and then add the celery and carrots. Sauté for a couple minutes more and then add the stock. Bring to a boil, add the barley, and then reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Add the bay leaves, the thyme, and return the mushrooms to the pot. Simmer for 50 minutes to an hour, until the barley and the vegetables are tender. Add the heavy cream, the final tablespoon of butter, and salt and pepper to taste. If you would like your soup to be a little thicker, in a separate cup, stir the cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water, mix well, and then stir the mixture into the soup, mixing well; it should thicken up nicely within a just a minute or so. Remove the bay leaves and serve.