Irish Farmhouse Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 7 cups vegetable broth or stock (or your favorite vegan broth or stock)
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil (like sunflower, grapeseed, canola)
• 1 large onion (chopped)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
• 2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes)
• 1 leek (washed, halved, and thinly sliced crosswise)
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh rosemary (leaves stripped from stem, chopped, optional)
• fresh thyme (leaves stripped from stem, chopped, optional)
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (for thickening the soup, optional)
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• fresh parsley (for garnish, optional)