Lola Tela's Shrimps with Garlic

The other day Mom was in the mood to cook.  You see my mom is a good mother, however cooking is not one of her favorite mom activities, to her cooking is chore she would rather not do.  She is more of a arts and crafts kind of mom.  She makes beautiful gift wrappings, and whenever there is a kid's occasion to be celebrated she makes beautifully done decorations and give-aways.

So when she is in the mood to cook it usually is a good dish.  Last week she made my Lola Tela's Shrimps with Garlic, a simple yet flavorful dish.  Mom rarely makes this dish, probably she cooks this twice a year. Mom learned this dish from Lola Tela, upon taking my first bite of this dish I could not help but remember Lola.  

She was the aunt of my Dad.  I only met her when I was in my teens, because she lived in Zamboanga. I wish I had met her sooner because she was a great woman.  She always had a zest for life and had a great sense of style coupled with a fantastic sense of humor. I remember her telling me the story of her going to church to pray that she be blessed with children. At this time she had been married for a couple of years and yet they did not have any kids.  Soon after that prayer she became pregnant with her firstborn, soon after that she was pregnant again with her second child, then she was pregnant again with her third.  She was blessed with 6 kids. So after she gave birth to her youngest she went back to the church and thanked God for the blessings, however she also requested that God stop blessing her with babies because she already had 6.  God did hear her prayer, however after several years she was blessed with a 7th child.  I guess God really loved Lola to have blessed her 7 times.  

I loved how she told this story in her distinct voice and perfect English and how animated she was. Sadly she passed away early this year, she was a great lady and she is missed by all she touched.

Love you Lola Tela.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 kilo shrimps, leave the shells on

1/2 a bulb of chopped garlic

salt to taste

cooking oil

Fry the chopped garlic in oil until it is aromatic.  Then add the shrimps, season with some salt.  Cook until the garlic turns brown and the shrimps are fully cooked through.