I took a quick walk around my new neighborhood today. There are quite a few community gardens in the area, and it brightens my heart that the area’s empty lots are being used for a “green” activity rather than development.

Today’s walk reminded me of the nearing frost. Assessing the veggie gardens along the way, I noticed quite a few tomatoes still dangling from darkening vines. In the outer reaches of Boston, they’ve had a light frost already, and we city folk have dipped down to the high 30s, cold enough to make tomato plants very unhappy.

For those of you in the frost zone, you might be wondering what to do with those green tomatoes still clinging to the vine. I’ve got a suggestion for you: Spicy Tomato Soup. It’s not my recipe. But thanks to Emeril Lagasse, I found something tasty to do with summer’s last hangers on. Now, it doesn’t have to be just green tomatoes; a variety of colors along the slow-ripening green-to-red spectrum will do.

Thanks, Emeril, for the perfect soup for the approaching cold weather.

Spicy Tomato Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced thinly
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
5-6 hot peppers, whatever type you want to cook with, diced
3.5 lbs tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until just translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add garlic, bay leaves, garlic, and peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock, then adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup to a boil; turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Remove bay leaves. Puree in batches in a blender. (Or, use an immersion blender—it does a terrific job.) Pour soup into a separate large bowl.

Add the lemon juice and stir.

If it’s too spicy, cut the heat with a bit of sour cream. Adding pesto is a pretty tasty addition, too.