We here at the DCist constantly extol the virtues of living in a city with abundant resources of all kind. Do you need to see an awesome show at a small venue? Check. Do you need to look at physical copies of the country’s most important documents? Check. Do you have a need to see Matthew Lesko now and again? Got it. Other than that whole “vote in Congress” thing, D.C. probably has what you need, up to and including last minute ideas for a non-traditional turkey.
In today’s Washington of omnipresent lobbying groups and thousands of special interests, one rises to the occasion on this Thanksgiving Eve: the National Turkey Federation. Hosanna! The NTF is an organization comprised of all your heavy hitters like Butterball, Jennie-O, Perdue, the Utah Turkey Marketing Board, etc.; it’s the voice of Big Turkey. But something tells us that their grassroots outreach to the turkeys themselves is probably a hard row to hoe.
At any rate, the people who know turkey have provided us with more recipes for their favorite bird than you can shove in the cavity of your 30-pound holiday leviathan. Take Curried Turkey Kofta, Colonial Turkey Pot, and Fire and Ice Carribean Turkey as examples of the wonder of turkey’s versatility. Want something that sounds snooty enough to impress the neighbors? Turkey Paillard. Want to be an awkward parent trying to impress your kid’s Asian boyfriend from college only to leave them both cringing for weeks? Turkey Yamaguichi and Smoking Dragon Wings. Hate your family? School Foodservice Turkey and Pastry Soup.
The National Turkey Federation has it all, a time and temperature reference guide for roasting, a recipe for turkey stock from the leftovers, and a section on how to carve like a pro. All this from a small lobby shop over on 12th and New York Avenue NW! So to all of you who poo-poo the bounty Washington has to offer, don’t forget that the NTF labors in silence year round so people don’t all of a sudden forget about turkey, making it impossible to find in the stores for Thanksgiving. Thanks to the NTF, you’ll be able to enjoy your tryptophan hangover for years to come.
Photo from bjackrian.
