Little Eggplant Molds / Timballini di Melanzane

Directions

1. Brush four 3- X 2-inch ramekins with olive oil and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Cut the stem tops off of each of the eggplants. Slice four of the eggplants lengthwise, making six 1/4-inch thick slices from each one. Dice the remaining two eggplants and set aside.
4. Heat half of the oil in a sauté pan and cook the slices in batches until they are lightly browned on each side. Transfer the slices to a dish. Add additional oil as necessary to cook all the slices.
5. Add the diced eggplant and onion to the sauté pan and cook until the mixture softens. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Off the heat add the cheese, oregano, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
6. Line each ramekin with six overlapping slices of eggplant and leave at least a 2-inch overhang to fold over later.
7. Fill the lined ramekins with the eggplant and cheese mixture, packing it in well. Bring the overlapped eggplant over the filing to enclose it. Drizzle the tops with olive oil.
8. Cover each ramekin with a small piece of aluminum foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.
9. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the foil from each one. Use a dishtowel to hold them and invert onto a serving dish. Top each one with some of the tomato sauce and serve.