Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The month's sunrise-to-sunset fasting officially begins on the first night that the new crescent moon is visible. In 2010, Ramadan begins at sundown on August 11.

With an entire month's worth of Ramadan meals to prepare, try mixing up your menus with these recipes from around the world.

Maamool with Walnuts :

Ingredients:


2 cups smeed (semolina)
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups samneh (or other shortening)
1 tsp. ma'ez zahr (orange blossom essence)
1 tsp. rose water
3/4 cup fine sugar
1 1/4 cup crushed walnuts

Preparation:

Make dough of smeed, samneh and boiling water. Knead well together. Cover tightly and leave overnight.
On the second day knead again thoroughly and form into small balls. Hollow out their centers. Fill the hollow with mixture of sugar, nuts and flavorings.
Press the dough back over the filling. Press each cookie onto a buttered baking pan and flatten and decorate with the tines of a fork. Or, shape the dough in the carved molds made in Lebanon especially for this purpose. Bake in moderate oven until lightly browned. Dust liberally with powdered sugar while hot.

Source Leanese recipes