All the same words for one vegetable!  Berenjena in the Dominican Republic is grown in abundance and size and is also one of the cheapest vegetables you can buy in the supermarket.  Tasty and versatile here are 2 recipes with a modern angle to tickle your tastebuds...

Ingredients Required

• 6 medium sized eggplants/aubergines/berenjena’s
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Quarter of a cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• Pinch of dried oregano
• Couple of sprigs of fresh green basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

How To Make Your Eggplant/Aubergine/Berenjena Salad

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Meanwhile prick/pierce the eggplants several times all over with a fork and then place them on a baking tray
• Bake the eggplants for one to one and a half hours until they are completely soft.  Remove and let them cool off completely.  Once cool, remove the skins and chop the inside finely.  Put the eggplants into a large mixing bowl. 
• Cook the garlic with a tablespoon full of olive oil in a frying pan until soft and lightly brown.  Stir in the remaining olive oil and add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, oregano and basil until the sugar has dissolved. 
• Pour this mixture over the eggplants and still well.  Add salt and pepper to taste then cover the mixing bowl and allow to chill for at least one hour before serving.

• Preheat your oven to around 300 degrees.
• Boil the eggplant until soft and then drain well. Mix in half of  the grated cheese and toasted bread pieces/crumbs.
• In another bowl mix the cream, flour and poultry seasoning.
• Transfer the eggplant mixture into a small greased casserole tray or baking tray and then pour the cream and flour mixture over the top.
• Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese over the top and bake in the oven for a further 30 minutes.

A great vegetarian main meal or use this as a side dish with a crisp salad.

Sea Bass is widely available in the Dominican Republic.  While it is normally an expensive fish in other parts of the world it is fished and caught locally all around the island.

Known as “merro” here, it is a delicious fish and can be served in many inventive and enticing ways.
Ingredients Required

• Dash of olive oil
• 1.5 lb of potatoes (peeled, very thinly sliced)
• 1.5 lb of sea bass cut into 4 steaks of about 1.5 inches of thickness
• 2 fresh tomatoes cut in halves
• 2 scallions (if you can’t find them a small white onion will be ok)
• 4 minced cloves of garlic
• 2 good sprigs of parsley minced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary minced
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme of if you can't get fresh use quarter of a teaspoon of dried thyme instead
• Juice of one lemon (or if you live in the Dom Rep then a large juicy lime will do just as well)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

How To Make Your Sexy Baked Sea Bass

• Blanche the thinly sliced potatoes
• Drain them and pat dry
• Preheat your oven to around 400 degrees
• Brush or coat the bottom of a casserole or baking tray with the olive oil and then place the potatoe slices along the bottom, make sure you cover the tray completely, overlapping is allowed in the corners
• Place the sea bass steaks on top of the potatoes and arrange the tomato halves alongside the fish
• Brush over the fish and tomatoes lightly with olive oil
• Mix together the garlic, parsley, scallion or onion, rosemary and thyme
• Sprinkle your garlic herb mixture all over the sea bass
• With the juice of the lemon or lime drizzle it over the top of the garlic mixture and add salt and pepper to taste
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until both the fish and potatoes are cooked

 Your sexy sea bass bake is ready to serve!