Moroccan Spiced Turkey and Chickpea Chili with Lebnah Cheese and Chermoula

The spices in this chili are wonderfully sweet and exotic with a little kick of heat from the Aleppo peppers.  The eggplant melts down and the chickpeas give the chili a lot of body.  The garnish on the chili is wonderful and I wouldn’t omit, but if you don’t have the time, the chili will still be delicious. It also has a dollop of Labneh cheese which is a Middle Eastern cheese made from strained yogurt.  You can substitute Greek yogurt, or mascarpone cheese if you can’t find Labneh.  The chili really gets the base of its flavor from Ras el Hanout which is a Middle Eastern spice mix and there are hundreds of variations. It has cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, turmeric, dried rosebud, lavender, ajawan seeds and even more spices in some recipes.  You can usually find the blend at a gourmet store or Amazon, and it’s worth searching out because it often has rose petals and lavender which give a really wonderful subtle flavor.  I like to serve the chili with toasted Middle Eastern flat bread or you could use naan bread.  The chili is also garnished with chermoula which is a fresh and pungent sauce that is often served with fish and is made with cilantro.  This simple version does not have all the spices it can often have but really brightens the finished dish and adds beautiful color and texture.  Click here for the recipe….