Instructions: Make the torte first. Lightly beat egg white with 2 egg yolks - then whip in sour cream (or jocoque), flour, and sugar. Scrape into a small greased pan or baking dish (about 8- by 4-inch) and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes - it will puff high and slightly brown on the edges.

Once you put the torte in the oven, you can begin the soup. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and toss in the onion, carrot, and hot pepper. Cook over medium-low until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini, toss for a minute - then add the minced tomato and cook until thick, stirring occasionally. When thick, pour in the stock, crumbled in the oregano, and add the minced parsley. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

When ready to serve, unmold the torte and cut into 4 equal pieces - placing one in each of the 4 flat, wide serving bowls. Ladle the broth and vegetables over the torte in each bowl and serve immediately.

Serve hot in flat, wide soup bowls to 4 people. It is an excellent prelude to any number of Mexican or other main dishes. Its a great start, in fact, to a roast or barbeque chicken.

Comments: Jocoque is a Mexican-style sour cream, somewhere between salted buttermilk and a thin sour cream and ranging in taste from tangy to sharp. What makes this soup quite unusual is its odd juxtapositions - sweet and savory, bland and piquante, liquid and solid, with unexpected textures and with a wonderfully festive look. In fact, its a complete surprise to eat - and in the most positive way. Its adapted from Guadalupe Riveras Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo, her stepmother.

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