'Creamy' Mushroom-Barley Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb cremini mushroom, stemmed and sliced
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped
1 cup pearl barley
4 cups beef broth
2 cups nonfat milk
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot and add carrots and mushrooms, stirring occasionally until they soften and begin to brown.
Sprinkle mushrooms and carrots with flour, and cook for a minute or two to cook off the raw flour taste before adding the barley and cooking another 1-2 minutes.
Add bay leaf, thyme, broth and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20 to 30 minutes, until barley is very tender.
Mix cornstarch with just enough cold water to dissolve it and add it to the pot along with the soy sauce and lots of black pepper. Taste and add salt, if needed. Remove bay leaf.
Serve hot with crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan.