Mushroom Pearl Barley Soup with Parmesan – Sophie Zalokar

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 150 g pancetta or speck, diced [optional]
• 30 g butter
• 700 g field mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 3 litres vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 ½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup cream
• sea salt flakes
• 100 g Parmesan, grated
• freshly cracked black pepper