Recipes for Iftar and Eid al-Fitr

In Anissa Helou’s beautiful story about fasting and feasting during Ramadan, she describes mouthwatering foods that would be delicious anytime. Heavy on the sweets with a nice balance of savory, the dishes offer a taste of countries throughout the Middle East. You can bring those flavors home by trying these recipes for some of the dishes Helou described:

Fattoush: Crisp-fried pita adds crunch to a refreshing salad.

Add chickpeas and yogurt to make it a heartier full meal.

Baba Ghanouj: It’s nearly as easy to make this eggplant dip as it is to go out and buy some.

Fatteh: Layers of toasted pita alternate with eggplant in this yogurt-smothered vegetarian main dish.

Qorma-e ru-ye nan: Lamb cooked with onions and tomato soaks into croutons and mingles with a savory yogurt sauce.

Shaariya Medfouna: This translates to “buried in vermicelli,� and that’s exactly what happens with chicken in this savory dish seasoned with warming spices.

Sweets are an integral part of breaking fast. Here are a few traditional options:

Shir Khurma: Like a bread pudding, this sweet milky mix is thickened with ground almonds and pistachios and seasoned with rose and saffron.

Gullac: Layers of wafers are soaked with milk and enriched with crunchy nuts.

Baklava: These honeyed bars studded with nuts are a project worth pursuing.

Muhallebi: This rice pudding is made with rice flour, resulting in a creamy smooth texture, fragrant with orange blossom water.