This is a great book to pick up again for fall/winter.
I had a bunch of leeks from my CSA and wasn't sure what to do with them. I tried the braised leeks with bacon & thyme. I used homecured fresh (unsmoked) bacon that was fried. The bacon drippings are mixed with stock (I didn't have any so I used a bit of veal demi glace diluted with water) to make the braising liquid. Then the sliced leeks go in the oven for 30 minutes covered (with some garlic cloves cut in half), turned and cooked for another 20 minutes, and lastly 15 minutes more with the bacon. I didn't bother reducing the braising liquid, but the little squeeze of lemon juice at the end is important. This reminded me of a childhood classic, endives au jambon (braised endives with ham). This was really tasty and dead simple. I served it with steak.
