Visitors to Chicago are often amazed at the variety of Al Capone t-shirts, coffee mugs,  belt buckles, and other memorabilia on sale at shops catering to tourists. For some, Al Capone is still the face of Chicago, This is in part a testimony to our celebrity culture in which the lives of the famous are often mingled with the infamous. However, there are still some who remember the man once called the most notorious gangster in American history  as a modern-day Robin Hood for his considerable charitable contributions to Chicago organizations from the money he made by smuggling booze into the city during Prohibition, bribery of government figures, and prostitution.

Al was also responsible keeping the soup kitchens running all over Chicago during the Depression which cost him thousands of dollars every day to keep people alive .When one of his family members got sick from drinking expired milk. Capone pressured the Chicago City Council to pass a law stating that the date when milk should be sold by was to be stamped in an area visible by the consumer. This law is still in force. 

Alphonse ‘Al” Capone started his crime career as part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan while he worked in the Harvard Inn as a bouncer and bartender where received his famous facial scars and the resulting nickname "Scarface" when he insulted a patron and was attacked by her brother. In his early twenties, Al  moved to Chicago to take advantage of a new opportunity to make money smuggling booze during Prohibition. He soon eliminated rival gangs.

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department had been developing evidence on tax evasion charges on Al Capone, his brother Ralph "Bottles" Capone, Jake "Greasy Thumb" Guzik, Frank Nitti, and other mobsters.. On November 24,  Al was sentenced to eleven years in federal prison, fined $50,000. and charged $7,692 for court costs, in addition to $215,000 plus interest due on back taxes . Following his release, he never publicly returned to Chicago. In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore psychiatrist, after examination, both concluded Capone then had the mentality of a 12-year-old child.

To celebrate Al’s birthday, we suggest renting a copy of Al Capone (1997) with Rod Steiger’s over-the top portrayal of the Chicago crime boss, and feasting on the Chicago favorite - Al Capone Roast. 
 

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
2. Rub the flank steak on both sides with olive oil. Place a layer of prosciutto, then a layer of mortadella, mozzarella, and then pepperoni. Season with some of the Italian seasoning. Roll the steak up around the filling, and tie with butcher's string. Rub the outside of the roll with remaining Italian seasoning, garlic powder and steak seasoning.
3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Sear the roast over the entire outside. Then leave the roast in the skillet, and place the skillet in the oven.
4. Roast for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature reaches 160º F when taken in the center of the roast. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 10-12