I perhaps naively hoped that I could rent a big house for maybe $500 to $800 a night, for maybe three nights, have some friends stay over and others just come for the day. But I am finding most venues that might work are also used for weddings, so the costs tend to be in the multiple thousands. If I could do the location for $1000 I would be thrilled (and possibly deluded). I am thinking probably 30 or at most 40 would show up for the pig roast/daytime party. Oh, and of course we need parking for many, which is also a problem in a neighborhood in Stinson, I think.
Will check Druids Hall and add Bolinas to the search--keep those ideas coming!

Just had this last night: it was wonderful. Used Semi-freddi's rye bread (for those of you in the Bay Area), sliced thick.

Deborah Madison's Cabbage & Rye Panade

1 clove garlic and some butter for the dish
She calls for 3-4 cups of her Herb & Garlic broth or her basic vegetable stock made with 6 extra cloves garlic and 6 large sage leaves. So however you want to achieve the flavor...
3 T butter or olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 t juniper berries, crushed
2 T coarsely chopped sage
2 lbs cabbage, quartered & sliced into ribbons
salt & pepper
4 slices rye bread with caraway seed
1 c grated Gruyere

Preheat to 350. Rub a gratin dish with the garlic clove, then butter it. Prepare your highly seasoned stock.

Heat butter or olive oil in skillet and fry the onion, juniper, and sage until onions begin browning. Add cabbage, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup water to the pan and cook til cabbage is tender and browned in places, approx 20 min. Turn it occasionally during cooking with tongs. Taste for seasoning, correct if necessary.

Place half the cabbage into the dish, top with the rye bread, then layer on the gruyere and finally the remaining cabbage. Pour the broth over all and bake for around 45 minutes, until it's bubbly and the cabbage edges are browning. Spoon it into soup dishes and be sure to ladle some of the garlicky broth into your bowl.

Thanks so much, Paul. I am using a le creuset dutch oven in the oven, so the steam should be pretty effective. It calls for 1 and a 1/4 cups water for lamb (2 cups for beef, which takes longer to cook).

In case anyone wants the recipe, with all credit to Madhur Jaffrey, here it is. Every time I make it I get rave reviews and everyone asks for the recipe.

Red Lamb or Beef Stew
(Rogan josh)

from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Serves 4-6*

• Two 1-inch cubes of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups water
• 10 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds boned meat from lamb shoulder or leg, or stewing beef (chuck), cut into one-inch cubes
• 10 whole cardamom pods**
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 10 whole peppercorns
• A 1-inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
• 4 teaspoons bright red paprika mixed with 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
• freshly ground pepper

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees if you are choosing the oven method below—which I recommend.)

1. Put the ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons of the water into a blender and blend into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over a medium-high flame. Brown meat cubes in batches and set aside. Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon in the same oil. Stir once and wait until the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on color. This just takes a few seconds. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry for about five minutes or until the onions take on a medium brown color. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-cayenne, and salt. Stir and fry for 30 seconds more. Add the browned meat cubes and accumulated juices. Stir for 30 seconds. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt. Stir and fry for about 30 seconds, or until the yogurt is well incorporated. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time, in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Now add 1 1/4 cups water if you are cooking lamb, and 2 cups if you are cooking beef. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in all browned spices from the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for about an hour if you are cooking lamb, or two hours if you are cooking beef, or until meat is tender. Every ten minutes or so, give the meat a good stir. (Alternatively, the meat can be baked, covered, in a preheated 350-degree oven for the same length of time. I prefer the oven method because you don’t need to stir—it doesn’t stick.) When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium, and boil away some of the liquid. The fat that collects in the pot may be spooned off the top. Sprinkle the garam masala and black pepper over the meat before you serve, and mix them in.

*Note: If you double or triple the recipe do not double or triple the amounts of oil or water.
** Alix’s patented trick: use a needle and thread to string the pods together. This makes it easy to remove them before serving, preventing any unpleasant surprises.