Start by slicing the eggplants thinly, grill them, and set aside. If they are too long, you can cut them in half.

Coarsely chop the melting cheese and drain any whey.

Chop the celery, carrot, and onion very finely and sauté them over low heat in a pan with two tablespoons of oil.

When the onion wilts, add the meat and brown it over high heat, stirring often.

As soon as the meat is well browned, deglaze with wine and let the alcohol evaporate. Adjust the salt, add the chili or pepper, stir, cover, transfer the pan to the smallest burner, and cook for about ten minutes (in total, between browning and low heat cooking, the meat should cook about 20 minutes). Then, turn off and let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the baking cups.

Personally, I prefer to use round aluminum baking cups, as they are easier to handle even when hot, the bundles come off easier and hold their shape when unmolded. If unavailable, we can use parchment paper muffin cups.

If using aluminum baking cups, line them internally with 4-inch square parchment paper.

Having done this, insert the eggplant slices overlapping in a cross (depending on the width of the slices, it may be necessary to add 4 or more slices, as seen in the first photo of the procedure, top right), add the meat, filling them to the brim, cheese cubes, close and form our bundles, joining the edges of the slices over each other, pressing slightly with the fingers, and placing a piece of cheese on the closure of the bundles.

Fill all the baking cups and place in the oven at 392°F for about 10/15 minutes. The vegetables do not need to be seasoned, as they will absorb the seasoning released by the meat. Once cooked, just serve them and enjoy them accompanied by a rich salad.

The extra idea. We can add two generous tablespoons of tomato puree to the meat, after letting the wine evaporate, to make it even tastier. In this case, I suggest cooking the filling for another 10 minutes, beyond those I indicated.

Bon appétit