Mushroom Barley Soup

There is nothing new about this soup--I have done nothing to make it new or different. But it is really spectacular in it's simplicity. It requires very little in terms of ingredients. Start with a chopped onion, saute it with a clove or two of minced garlic. Once they have softened, add a 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms. You can also add some thyme, but I didn't this time. Once the mushrooms have lost most of their moisture, I add 6 cups of excellent stock and 1/3 c. of barley. For some reason I cannot recall (nor can I justify), I have about 8 cups of barley. Since barley expands to about 12 times it's original size when cooked, this is enough barley to feed a soup kitchen. I should be making something with barley every week if I had a proper commitment to emptying out my pantry. I am not up to that task. Either task, actually--not the barley surplus nor the pantry turnover. But this soup, after simmering on very low heat for 45 minutes is fantastic in an earthy (and inexpensive) way. I tossed in some left over pot roast shredded, but it can be completely vegetarian and equally good.