‘Root to Leaf,’ a Field Guide to Vegetables

“Where my friend saw nothing, I saw possibility.”

That is Steven Satterfield, writing in the introduction to his exciting new cookbook, “Root to Leaf,” just published by HarperWave.

He had been at a farmers’ market this time of the year, start of the season, the market’s stalls starting to fill with what is finally poking through the ground: not much. His friend, Mr. Satterfield implied, had a shopping list. Mr. Satterfield did not, only “an open mind and some empty bags.”

He shopped. Dinner that night: melted leek ravioli with mushrooms and green garlic; a baby chard and dandelion salad; macerated young strawberries with sheep’s milk cheese.

Well, O.K. That’s a chef for you. Mr. Satterfield runs Miller Union in Atlanta, a cozy and celebrated restaurant in an old industrial space in Westside, heavy on Southern ingredients beautifully prepared, emphasis on the vegetables, totally great. Give him three spring onions, a radish and a tiny piece of triggerfish, and he’ll make you a meal you won’t forget anytime soon.

For the rest of us, though, cooking is not that easy. We have the open minds. We have the empty bags. But what to put in them? What to do with it all? Improvisation is not our forte. Inspiration is not our game. We seek guidance. We need help.