Cinco de Mayo : Celebrating Traditional Mexican Cooking : Holidays: Four local Mexican cooks share their recipes for a great Cinco de Mayo.

“ Mucho trabajo (it’s a lot of work),” says Linda Vega as she pushes an extraordinary jumble of ingredients through a giant sieve. Among them are pasilla chiles, sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, raisins, anise seeds, crisp fried tortillas, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and onion.

Vega, 62, is at work in the kitchen of Diana’s Mexican restaurant on Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park. What is she making? One more ingredient tells the story. It’s a circle of Mexican chocolate that deepens the brick-red color of the sauce being strained to silky smoothness. This sauce is the key element in mole poblano ( mole from Puebla), a dish as appropriate to today’s holiday, Cinco de Mayo, as corned beef is to St. Patrick’s Day.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates a stirring battle between Mexican defenders and the invading French in Puebla on May 5, 1862. This aristocratic city is known for things other than combat, though. Its greatest contribution may be the ornate cuisine that flourished in its convents.

Long before the battle, Sor Andrea de La Asuncion, a Dominican nun from the Convent of Santa Rosa, produced the magic mole formula. The lavish stew delighted the visiting dignitaries in whose honor it was prepared, and it went on to become one of Mexico’s most popular dishes. On that memorable day, the mole was made with turkey--one that had been fattened on chestnuts and hazelnuts. Today, chicken is more common.

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Vega is from Guadalajara, not Puebla, but insists that her mole is just as good as the original. “I make it the same,” she says. For 14 years, she has cooked at Diana’s, which is one of six restaurants that grew out of a little market opened by Hortensia Magana in Gardena in 1969. Diana’s Mexican Food Products is a busy operation. In addition to the restaurants, it has a central commissary, produces tamales and manufactures tortillas that are shipped as far as Japan. But there’s still room for Vega’s brand of individuality.

She works in the old way, gauging quantities by sight rather than weighing and measuring. And she has quite a following. Customers can tell when Vega is away because the food tastes different.

Vega takes almost no time putting together the bread pudding known as capirotada. Grabbing handfuls of toasted sliced bolillos, Vega starts the layers in a deep dish, tossing in almonds and peanuts, raisins and prunes, coconut and cubes of cotija cheese. When the pudding is served, more coconut goes over the top along with a sprinkle of grajea-- multicolored tiny candy balls.

Meanwhile, boiling syrup fills the kitchen with the warm, sweet scent of cinnamon. Brown sugar cones called piloncillo turn the syrup a rich brown . . . but what is that bobbing in the pan? Apples? No. They’re tomatoes, which Vega will remove before pouring the syrup onto the pudding. What are they doing there? “ Sabor (flavor),” Vega explains. And, she adds, “ tradicion .” This is the way it has always been done in her family.

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For restaurant service it is easier to boil the chicken separately, then ladle the sauce over each serving, but it is much better when the chicken is cooked in the sauce. Simply prepare the sauce as described, then combine sauce and cut-up chicken in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Red Mexican rice and refried beans accompany the mole at Diana’s. DIANA’S MOLE POBLANO

1/2 pound dried pasilla ancho chiles

1 (3 1/4-ounce) circle Mexican chocolate

2 tablespoons unsalted shelled peanuts

2 tablespoons blanched almonds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds

2 sticks cinnamon

3 whole cloves

3 peppercorns

2 small cloves garlic

2 slices onion, each about 1 inch thick

1 tortilla, fried crisp

5 tablespoons sugar

Salt

3 tablespoons oil

2 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chickens

Remove and discard seeds and stems from chiles. Place chiles in saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil, remove from heat and let chiles stand until soft.

Place chocolate in bowl, cover with warm tap water and let stand 10 minutes, until slightly softened but not dissolved.

In large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven combine peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, raisins, anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and 1 slice onion. Cook over low heat, uncovered, very gently 30 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Place in bowl and cover generously with water. Soak until slightly softened, making them easier to grind.

Drain chiles. In batches, combine some of chiles and some of cooked onion mixture, fried tortilla and chocolate in blender and blend until finely ground. To facilitate blending, add chile soaking liquid and liquid in which nuts and spices were soaked. Sauce should be very fluid rather than paste.

Put through sieve to eliminate solids. Add sugar and salt to taste. Heat oil in 3-quart pot. Add remaining onion slice and cook until lightly browned. Add sauce mixture to onion and oil and simmer 15 minutes. Sauce can be prepared in advance and reheated at serving time. Makes about 7 cups sauce.

Cut chickens into serving pieces. Place in Dutch oven and add water just to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 45 minutes, or until tender. Place serving of chicken on each plate and top with 1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

668 calories; 205 mg sodium; 152 mg cholesterol; 47 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 42 grams protein; 0.97 gram fiber.

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A Lenten dish, capirotada is so popular it is being added to the regular menu of Diana’s restaurants. Shop for bolillos in Mexican bakeries and supermarkets that carry large lines of Mexican ingredients. Add more of the nuts, fruits and coconut, if desired.

DIANA’S CAPIROTADA

8 bolillos (Mexican-style French rolls)

1 gallon water

1 3/4 pounds piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar)

8 cinnamon sticks

2 medium tomatoes

Butter

2 corn tortillas, fried crisp

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup whole pitted prunes

1/2 cup cubed Cotija cheese

1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds

1/2 cup flake or shredded dried coconut

Multicolored candy decors

Additional coconut for garnish

Slice bolillos crosswise 1-inch thick. Arrange cut-side-down on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until browned.

To make syrup, combine water, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks and whole tomatoes in large pot. Boil, uncovered, 20 minutes. Remove tomatoes and discard.

Grease deep 3- to 4-quart baking dish with butter. Line bottom with tortillas. Add layer of bread, then some each of raisins, prunes, cheese, peanuts, almonds and coconut. Top with several thin pats butter. Repeat layers of bread, raisins, prunes, cheese, peanuts, almonds, coconut and butter until all ingredients are used, finishing with layer of fruits and nuts and few pats butter. Ladle on syrup until almost to top of layers.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees until heated through and browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Spoon into serving dishes. Decorate each serving with candy decors and coconut. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Each of 12 servings contains about:

490 calories; 211 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 90 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.94 gram fiber.

Rogelio’s Tortilleria

The wonderful, earthy aroma of cooked dried corn draws you to Rogelio’s Tortilleria. Once inside, it’s impossible to leave without an armful of fresh corn tortillas and a sack of Petra Anguiano’s tamales--sweet ones to go with coffee, savory red or green chile tamales for dinner or a snack. Women from the neighborhood drop in for masa --lots of it--to make their own tamales and tortillas. One orders 35 pounds, which her husband carries off in a big black speckled pot.

Rogelio’s, located on Huntington Drive between downtown Los Angeles and South Pasadena, is a shop that is so modest it doesn’t even have a sign. The only clues to what goes on there are the big corn hoppers at one end of the building--the hopper is no longer used--and the sacks of corn and corn flour that are piled in the yard.

This is a family business, run by the Anguianos. Petra Anguiano is from Guadalajara; her husband, Raoul, is from Guanajuato. The busiest part of the day is 4 to 7 a.m., when the tortilla line pumps out the day’s merchandise. Later on, Petra might spend a couple of hours at the counter next to the rack that holds tortillas, tostada crisps and bags of dried chiles. Rogelio’s also makes flour tortillas, both with and without lard, and sells carnitas on weekends.

The dish Petra would serve for Cinco de Mayo is, of course, made with tortillas. Entomatadas are similar to enchiladas, only the tortillas are coated with fresh tomato sauce rather than spicy red chile. The platter is decorated so prettily that you can hardly stand to disrupt the artistry. Temptation overcomes that feeling quickly, and you find that entomatadas are entrancingly light. All that’s inside is shredded chicken. On top and round about are lettuce, avocado, cheese, sour cream, onion and radish slices.

For Cinco de Mayo, Petra would also serve rice, beans, flan and, to drink, horchata (sweet and made with ground rice) or “una coca .” Entomatadas are practical and nutritious, she says proudly, sketching the way the platter should be arranged. Best of all, they’re “ muy facil de hacer (very easy to make).”

PETRA’S ENTOMATADAS

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt

6 tomatoes

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 to 2 jalapeno chiles, optional

Oil

1 bay leaf

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, optional

1 dozen tortillas

Lettuce, whole leaves and shredded

Sour cream

1 large avocado, sliced

1 or 2 tomatoes, sliced

Grated Parmesan cheese

Sliced onion

Sliced radishes

Place chicken in Dutch oven. Add water almost to cover, garlic and salt to taste. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, reserving broth for another use. Shred meat, discarding skin and bones.

Boil tomatoes until softened. Drain. In blender or food processor, grind tomatoes with onion, garlic and jalapenos, if desired, to puree. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan. Add tomato mixture and bay leaf. If tomatoes do not have good color, add canned tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Heat each tortilla quickly over burner of range, then fry few moments in oil, just to soften. Dip each tortilla in hot tomato sauce and remove. Place some of chicken on each tortilla and roll as if rolling enchilada. Arrange lettuce leaves around edge of large platter. Place shredded lettuce in center. Arrange entomatadas on lettuce. Top each with spoonful of tomato sauce, then with dab of sour cream, 1 avocado slice and 1 tomato slice. Sprinkle all over with Parmesan cheese. Arrange onion and radish slices around edge of platter. Makes 1 dozen, or 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

482 calories; 341 mg sodium; 93 mg cholesterol; 34 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 26 grams protein; 1.05 grams fiber.

Charlotte Reyes

If there’s anything Charlotte Reyes doesn’t like, it’s what she calls “phony Mexican food.” So she cooks her own, using old family recipes. And the dishes turn out so well that friends tell her to open a restaurant. Several of Reyes’ recipes have wound up in print--in a cookbook called “The Stuffed Tiger” put out by 97th Street School in Los Angeles. Reyes is a teacher’s aide there and also teaches art. She’s an artist herself, good enough to sell her work. Sketches of fruit and kitchen implements decorate her classroom.

For Cinco de Mayo, Reyes suggests tacos filled with ground beef and finely diced potato. “That’s the way my grandmother used to prepare them,” she says. Toppings such as cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and a spicy salsa are served on the side. The salsa blends three varieties of hot chile, which gives it plenty of fire.

Reyes was born in Los Angeles, far from her grandmother’s home in El Paso. But her mother, Rosa Jimenez, has passed on many of the old family recipes.

Reyes would accompany the tacos with red Mexican rice, refried beans dressed up with cheese and green chiles and a light dessert such as Jell-O or fruit cocktail; her family avoids sweets. If it weren’t for that restriction, she would serve flan.

To make refried beans, Reyes adds boiled pinto beans to hot oil and mashes them until soupy and creamy, working in Jack or longhorn cheese while mashing. Then she puts in canned chile strips and more cheese. Reyes seasons the rice with onion, garlic salt and tomato sauce and often adds vegetables such as corn or carrots. But think twice about adding peas, she warns. “Kids don’t like them.”

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Other ground meat such as pork, chicken or turkey could be substituted for beef.

CHARLOTTE REYES’ TACOS

1 pound ground beef

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into very small dice

3 carrots, peeled and grated

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

2 dozen corn tortillas

Oil

1/2 pound Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 pound yellow Cheddar cheese, shredded

4 tomatoes, cut into small dice

2 avocados, diced

1 head lettuce, sliced thin

1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream

Charlotte’s Salsa Picante

In large skillet, cook meat with potatoes, carrots, salt, cumin and garlic salt until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Soften tortillas quickly in oil. Place some of meat mixture in center, fold in half and fasten with wood picks. Fry in deep hot oil until crisp. Drain. Remove picks.

Arrange cheeses, tomatoes, avocados and lettuce on platter. Place sour cream and salsa in bowls. Add cheeses, vegetables, sour cream and salsa to tacos as desired. Makes 2 dozen.

Each taco contains about:

273 calories; 330 mg sodium; 32 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 1.28 grams fiber.

Charlotte’s Salsa Picante

5 serrano chiles

5 yellow (guero) chiles

5 jalapeno chiles

5 tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro

1/2 to 1 cup water

Salt

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, optional

Remove seeds and stems from serrano, yellow and jalapeno chiles. Cut off tips. Combine chiles and tomatoes in saucepan with water to cover and simmer until soft. Drain.

Combine chiles, tomatoes, onion and garlic in blender container and blend until finely ground. Add cilantro and blend again. Add water as needed to make sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt. If flavor is too spicy from chiles, add tomato sauce. Makes 3 cups.

Martha Castillo

Andres Castillo detests chicken. But he loves his mother’s pollo en salsa de naranja (chicken in orange sauce). “It’s the only way he’ll eat it,” says mom, who is Martha T. Castillo of El Sereno. You can see why that would be. The chicken is sweet and fruity, covered with a syrupy sauce that turns it a vibrant golden brown. As thick as a glaze, the sauce contains raisins and nuts along with orange juice, herbs and other seasonings. For a grand celebration, Sherry can replace part of the orange juice.

Martha Castillo was born in Los Angeles and raised in Zamora, Michoacan. The pollo recipe came from her grandmother, who lived in Purepero, a few miles from Zamora. The recipe was perfected by an aunt, Eloisa Torres de Mora. Torres taught cooking and specialized in this and other dishes from Mexico’s alta cocina (high cuisine).

Castillo has changed the procedure slightly. I make it “the lazy way,” she says. That means using ready-made ground pasilla chile rather than frying, soaking and grinding whole dried chiles, as her aunt would have done. The chile enhances the rich taste but does not turn the sauce hot.

Castillo would serve the chicken with traditional Mexican accompaniments on Cinco de Mayo. That means beans and rice. Instead of red Mexican rice, she would choose a white rice seasoned with chopped cilantro. She also does a red rice, cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes and a cilantro sprig on top.

The beans would be refried. Then there would be green salad and fried plantains. Castillo slices the ripe fruit and fries it in olive oil until browned. Guests would drink sodas with the chicken and fruit for dessert, nothing more caloric and sugary because the meal is rich enough.

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Castillo usually omits the nuts, but they add a nice crunch to the dish.

MARTHA CASTILLO’S POLLO EN SALSA DE NARANJA

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up, rinsed and patted dry

1 tablespoon ground dried pasilla chile

1/2 cup finely chopped tomato

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 cup raisins

2 tablespoons slivered almonds, optional

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1 bay leaf

Salt

Spray Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray. Add chicken pieces and cook, covered, over low to medium heat 20 minutes. Turn at least once. Take out chicken, reserving 2 tablespoons fat in pan. Remove larger bones, if desired.

Add ground chile and fry until color deepens. Add tomato, onion and garlic and saute until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan. Add orange juice, raisins, almonds, thyme, basil, bay leaf and salt to taste. Stir to coat meat. Cover and simmer over very low heat until sauce resembles glaze, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally so chicken does not stick to pan and burn. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

556 calories; 204 mg sodium; 130 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 35 grams protein; 1.25 grams fiber.

Variation:

Pollo al Jerez--Instead of using 1 1/2 cups orange juice, use 1 cup Sherry and 1 cup orange juice.

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In Mexico, it’s traditional to saute the rice before adding water.

MARTHA’S ARROZ BLANCO

1 tablespoon margarine

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

3 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

Heat margarine in Dutch oven. Add rice, onion, garlic and cilantro and saute until onion changes color slightly but is not brown. Add water and bouillon cube.

Cover and boil until liquid is absorbed, then reduce heat and cook, covered, over low heat until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

193 calories; 28 mg sodium; trace cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

Cinco de Mayo : Where and When

Diana’s, 6035 Pacific Blvd., Huntington Park; (213) 582-9222. Open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday to 2 a.m.; Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sunday from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Rogelio’s Tortilleria, 5401 Huntington Drive, Los Angeles, corner of Stillwell; (213) 221-1655. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The Stuffed Tiger” is available by mail from the 97th Street Elementary School, 419 West 98th St., Los Angeles 90003. Cost is $9, including postage and handling.