Mushroom barley soup

Begin with a mire poix of carrots, celery, leeks or spring onions, dried bay leaf, and a little ground black pepper, and saute it at the bottom of your soup pot in olive oil and salt until the vegetables soften. Add a bit of minced garlic and a cup of dry pearled barley, and stir to coat the barley in the hot oil. Add halved crimini mushrooms, one large jar of home-canned tomatoes, with their juices, and, if you like, some cooked kidney beans or white beans. Add lots of water — the barley will expand as it cooks — and salt liberally. Bring to a boil and simmer at least an hour. Before serving (or after, if you forget) add a dash of red wine vinegar.