For the last few summers, I've been in an eggplant rut. No matter how many times I stand over the pile of the multi-hued beauties at the farmers' market, swearing I'll try something new, I always fall back on my standby recipe: toss eggplant cubes with good olive oil and roast until they turn golden at the edges and meltingly soft inside.

In theory, they can be used innumerable ways: in salads, mashed into dips, tossed with pasta. But I usually end up nibbling them off the baking sheet as they cool. Dusted with sea salt, they are as compelling as popcorn with oily softness instead of crunch.

This year, to avoid roasting complacency, I did a little advance planning so I could reacquaint myself with other eggplant cooking techniques, like steaming, frying and grilling. Steaming was particularly suited to the thin-skinned, near-black Japanese eggplants that don't need peeling.

In the past I'd always used a steamer basket in a pot on the stove. But my mother swears by the microwave. So I tried it, wrapping the eggplant in parchment paper. It was quick and efficient and didn't heat up the kitchen. But steaming is very lean, and I think eggplant prefers to be rich. To compensate, I served it with a spicy peanut sauce spiked with lime and chile paste.

Frying was next. For this exercise I chose an eggplant Parmesan spinoff with fresher, more summery flavors. I skipped the breading and fried naked slices of eggplant, then served them with a garlicky cherry tomato sauce, dollops of milky ricotta and slivers of mozzarella. As a crunchy topping, I crisped up the breadcrumbs I didn't use as a coating and sprinkled them on top. It was colorful, bright tasting and much lighter than the usual baked-and-melted affair.

The day I chose to grill the eggplant was one of those recent New York City scorchers, so I was delighted to keep the cooking outside. I grilled a whole fat purple globe eggplant until the skin blistered. Then I scraped the soft guts into a bowl and seasoned them with red wine vinegar, garlic, good olive oil and fresh herbs. A few capers on top added a pleasing brininess. I ate it for dinner with pita bread, a hunk of feta and glasses of rose, and wanted for nothing.

I could have stopped my exploration there. But I missed roasting. This time, I vowed to make it into a meal. While the eggplant roasted, I threw together a lemony yogurt sauce and used half to marinate some lamb. To the rest, I added almonds, dates and cilantro, and slathered it over the roasted cubes. Then I broiled the lamb to char the surface and keep the meat juicy and rare.

There are lots of other eggplant cooking techniques I've yet to play with: deep-frying, broiling and sauteing, for example. Happily, there is still plenty of summer left.

EGGPLANT PARMESAN DECONSTRUCTED

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 side dish servings

1 large eggplant sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

Black pepper to taste

About ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

5 garlic cloves

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

4 sprigs oregano

3 sprigs basil, plus 5 large leaves

5 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup ricotta

2 ounces fresh mozzarella

1. Place the eggplant slices in a colander over a bowl. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain and pat slices dry with a paper towel. Season with pepper.

2. Working in batches, heat some of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you will need about ½ cup total for frying, less with a nonstick pan). Add as much eggplant to the skillet as fits comfortably in a single layer. Cook, without moving, until undersides are dark golden, about 4 minutes; flip and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant.

3. Let the skillet cool for a few minutes. Return it to medium heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. Smash and peel 4 garlic cloves and add them to the skillet; cook until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano. Cook, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spatula, until tomatoes start to form a sauce, 15 minutes. Add the basil sprigs and 4 tablespoons Parmesan; simmer 5 minutes longer.

4. While the sauce simmers, in a small skillet over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Mince 1 garlic clove and add to the skillet with the breadcrumbs. Toast, stirring, until breadcrumbs are just golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon Parmesan and a pinch of salt.

5. Arrange eggplant on a large platter. Spoon dollops of ricotta over the eggplant and top with sauce. Scatter breadcrumbs over sauce. Top with mozzarella and garnish with torn basil leaves. Drizzle with oil and serve.

CHARRED LAMB AND EGGPLANT WITH DATE-YOGURT CHUTNEY

Time: 1 hour, plus at least 3 hours' marinating

Yield: 4 servings

¾ cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

2 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

1 pound boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt

1 ¼ teaspoons black pepper

1 pound eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes

4 dates, pitted and finely chopped

¼ cup chopped cilantro

3 tablespoons sliced almonds

Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Whisk in 5 tablespoons of the oil.

2. Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and transfer to a large, nonreactive bowl. Pour half the yogurt mixture over the meat and toss well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

3. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, tossing occasionally, until eggplant is golden brown and tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Scrape into a bowl. Whisk the dates and cilantro into the remaining yogurt mixture and toss with the warm eggplant.

4. Adjust the oven to broil, with a rack 2 inches from the heat. Remove meat from marinade, wiping off any excess, and transfer to a large baking sheet. Drizzle lamb with a little oil. Broil until golden and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium rare. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.

5. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast almonds, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

6. Divide meat among serving plates and spoon eggplant next to the meat. Garnish with almonds and mint.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD

Time: 25 minutes, plus heating the grill

Yield: about 1 ½ cups

1 large eggplant

1 plum tomato, diced

1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Black pepper, to taste

Capers, for garnish, optional

Grilled pita bread, for serving

1. Heat grill to medium high. Prick the eggplant all over with a fork, put in on the grill and close the cover; cook, turning occasionally, until eggplant is very soft and skin is blistered, about 15 minutes.

2. When cool enough, scoop out the insides of the eggplant and coarsely chop. Transfer to a bowl and toss with tomatoes, vinegar, salt, oregano and garlic. Stir in oil and parsley; season with pepper and more salt if needed. Garnish with capers if you like them. Serve with warm pita bread.

STEAMED EGGPLANT WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 6 servings as an appetizer; 3 to 4 as a side dish

½ cup natural chunky peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 teaspoons sambal olek or other chile paste

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

6 Asian or baby eggplant

¼ cup chopped, roasted peanuts

¼ cup sliced scallions

1. In a bowl, whisk together peanut butter, 1/3 cup water, soy sauce, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, sambal olek and garlic.

2. Trim the ends of the eggplant. If using baby eggplant, peel them. Place in a steamer basket set over a pan of simmering water. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can wrap the eggplants individually in parchment and microwave until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.) Halve eggplants lengthwise.

3. Transfer eggplants to a platter, cut side up. Spoon peanut sauce over eggplant. Garnish with peanuts and scallions.