Good reads for dear old dad

What most dads really want for Father’s Day is to take it easy or spend time with the kids, according to yet another unscientific survey I conducted by e-mail. “For me, Father's Day is not a big gift-giving day and thus not a holiday requiring a lot of shopping,” says Bob Ward of Tampa, Fla., 62, who sees the holiday as “one of those artificial Hallmark Holidays.”

It “does serve a useful purpose,” says Ward, grandfather to two boys and father of four children and two stepchildren. “It instills unadulterated guilt in my children who have scattered about the Earth's surface and are now so consumed with their own busy lives that dear old dad is a distant memory.” Bob also says he just wants a card, a call or a visit. But I know Bob and if one of his kids or grandkids sent him a great new book, he’d be thrilled. So in the spirit of Bob and dads like him across America, here are some suggestions of good summer reads for dear old dad.

Mobster missives
There’s something about men and the mafia that’s almost as primal as men at the grill. I know whenever we have visitors in Brooklyn, my significant other has to tell them about all the mafia landmarks in the neighborhood. “Did you know Al Capone lived on Garfield Place?” he’ll say. There’s also a mention of Monte’s, the small Italian restaurant where the local joke is just make sure you sit facing the door. The oldest Italian restaurant in Brooklyn also happens to be located near the Gowanus Canal, the urban waterway rumored to be the final resting place for many former mob members.

But the mafia and its folklore is not limited to Brooklyn. Like the economy, organized crime is now a global phenomenon, writes Paul Lunde in the first chapter of “Organized Crime: An Inside Guide to the World's Most Successful Industry” (D.K. Publishing, 2004, $30), a 192-page, coffee-table book just released last month.

Lunde starts off with tactics and schemes common to these notorious criminals, from prostitution rings to Internet scams. The rest of the book focuses on different groups, from La Costa Nostra to the Russian mafiya (spelled with a y) and the Medellin and Cali cartels in Latin America — and its here we found the most interesting and telling details.

For example, being a wise guy is all it took to be a member of the Sicilian Mafia back in the late 1800s, writes Lunde. It’s also a common practice of the Japanese Yajuza, called yubitsume, to cut off one of their own finger joints if they have offended anyone. Some Yajuza cover their entire bodies with tattoos.

Lunde also confirms that Al Capone lived on Garfield Place, and at the age of 14 was kicked out of public school "P.S. 7," because he hit a teacher. After that — it was all downhill. Capone became an errand boy for a neighborhood mobster and then ended up being one of the best-known underground figures in the American mafia.

BTW, Tampa Bob is Italian and seems to take great pride in his family’s machismo heritage.

Burger bonanza
By now, dad must have all the grilling tools he needs but it’s highly unlikely that he has a copy of “Burgers: 50 Recipes Celebrating an American Classic” by Rebecca Bent (Clark Potter, 2004, $16.95). Just released this month, the 96-page small hardcover book not only contains recipes for classic beef burgers and variations on the theme but also recipes for burgers made from buffalo, venison, chicken, turkey, fish and tofu with an assortment of toppings, from bacon and cheese to toasted almonds and pineapple slices.

Recipe Delmarva Bisonburger 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons to season grill or skillet 1 large white onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons beer 1 ½ tablespoons Old Bay seasoning (available in most grocery stores) ¼  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 2 pounds ground bison 4 slices sharp Cheddar cheese, optional 4 English muffins, split and toasted Homemade Horseradish Tartar Sauce, optional Preheat a grill or cast-iron skillet, wiping down the grate or the skillet with olive oil before heating over a medium-high flame.  In a separate large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour the beer into the skillet, add the Old Bay Seasoning and pepper, and cook and stir until well blended. Let cool slightly.  In a large bowl, work the onion mixture into the ground bison with your hands. Divide into 4 patties at least ½ inch thick. Cook the burgers over medium-high heat until medium-rare: 3 ½ minutes per side on the grill, 4 minutes per side in a skillet. For cheeseburgers: 2 minutes before the burgers are finished, top with a slice of Cheddar and cover. Serve on toasted English muffins, smeared with Horseradish Tartar Sauce, if using. Recipe courtesy of Clarkson Potter

Bent included the best — or what her editor thought was the best — of about 100 recipes she developed over a year’s time. Every recipe, not culled from a chef, was made from scratch, says Bent, a mother of two daughters and a student at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan.

“The ingredients are usually picked while at the supermarket or while thinking about what I would like to eat. The chocolate encrusted cranberry burger was one of those ‘unusual’ burgers that I came up with while talking to my daughter, Sienna. I asked her what might be good in a burger and she said chocolate,” she says. Bent continues, “I love cranberries, mint and chocolate so it just made sense to give it a try and the outcome was really delicious.”

Bent’s favorites are the Chesapeake crab cake burger and the big juicy butter burger, “made using a compound butter.” Her husband favors the Delmarva bisonburger. (In honor of Father’s Day, see a reprint of the recipe on your right.) Sienna, 4, likes the coconut-flake Hawaiian burger and Ava Jane, 3, fancies the stuffed blue cheese burger with apple and bacon.

In addition to Bent’s best burgers, the book holds a handful of recipes from celebrity chefs, such as Bobby Flay of New York’s Mesa Grill, Suzanne Goin of Lucques in West Hollywood and Norman Van Aken of Norman’s in Coral Cables, Fla. Flay contributes a recipe for a mesa grill burger with double cheddar cheese flavored with horseradish mustard. Goin offers up a recipe for a grilled lamb burger with a cumin yogurt sauce. Norman Van Aken suggests a simple burger, made of fresh tuna, topped with a spicy mojo sauce.

Bent also convinced owner Bill O'Donnell at Manhattan’s Corner Bistro to reveal their secret recipe for what many New Yorkers —myself included — consider the best burger in town.

“Burgers” also has a chapter on condiments and sides, which includes recipes for homemade mayo, winter and summer varieties of ketchup and gingered cole slaw. There’s even a recipe for homemade buns — now that’s ambitious.

Tom Steele, a New York-based freelance food writer, took the mouth-watering photos.

BTW, Tampa Bob makes a mean burger on the grill.

Golden years guide
If dad is on the brink of retirement or has already retired, Ernie J. Zelinski’s new book will help him make the most of it. “How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free” (Ten Speed Press, 2004, $16.95) does not focus on ways to stretch limited retirement dollars or where to find the best senior discounts online, but how to enjoy the leisure time you worked so hard for in the first place. When it comes down to it, most of us spend a lot of time fantasizing how great retirement will be, and then have no clue how to spent the time, writes Zelinski. Some of us even miss those meaningless jobs we hated so much. That is, “retirement can set you free, or like work, can imprison you. Ultimately, it’s up to you,” writes Zelinski in the second chapter, “Retirement: A Time to Become Much More than You Have Ever Been.”

Zelinski solution is to have a plan and stay active. He suggests several ways to develop the right plan, whether it’s creating a new identity or continuing to work part-time in a field you love.

Zelinski semi-retired at the age of 30 with a net worth of less than $30,000. He now works two to four hours a day and doesn’t like to work at all in any month that doesn’t have an “r” in it,” according to the bio at the end of book. This is his 11th book. Previous titles include “The Joy of Not Working,” (Ten Speed Press, 2003, $16.95)

BTW, Tampa Bob is retired and has found many ways to enjoy his leisure time, including visiting his kids that are scattered around the globe.

Something to share with the kids
Most dads will be able to identify with, or at least be humored by the adventures of Big Jim, the head of the cool cat family in “Splat! The Tale of the Colorful Cat,” a children’s picture book by Jane Seymour and James Keach, illustrated by Geoffrey Planer, (Angel Gate Press, 2003, $12.99.)

The story focuses on what happens when Big Jim is left home alone to care for the littlest members of the Malibu, Calif. cat family for entire Sunday morning. At a loss of how to fill the time, Big Jim sets up the twin kittens, This One and That One, with a special project they can work on independently. Then, Big Jim quietly falls off to sleep in an armchair. When mom gets home she’s not as thrilled about what the kittens produced as they are.

The moral: not sure. The book: delightful. The illustrations: wonderful. The cats: way cool. The writing: fun. The 32-page book is recommended for children ages 4 to 8 but any Dad with kids is likely to appreciate the quick read.

BTW, Tampa Bob can share the short tome with his grandsons.

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