Italian-style favourites for Spring

You'll whip up these Italian-style dishes — a flavour-packed fish stew, and a tiramisu with a difference — in no time.

Delicious: quick fish stew. Picture: Guy Bailey

Here are two of my fast Italian-style favourites. The fish stew uses canned chopped tomatoes, a must-have in my pantry.

Quick fish stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 carrot, scrubbed and finely sliced

1 stick celery, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small fennel bulb, finely sliced lengthways

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Large glass of white wine

750ml fish or vegetable stock

400g firm white fish fillets

250g large uncooked prawns, heads removed, shell on

20 mussels

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped basil leaves, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 7-10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured. Add fennel, tomatoes, bay leaf, chilli, wine and stock and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Cut fish into bite-size pieces; add with prawns and mussels to sauce and simmer for a few minutes until cooked through. Season to taste and sprinkle with chopped herbs. Serve with croutons or crusty bread. Serves 4

Rhubarb tiramisu. Picture: Guy Bailey

Rhubarb tiramisu

6 stalks rhubarb, trimmed, washed and chopped

55g brown sugar

250g mascarpone

2 tablespoons icing sugar

1 tablespoon marsala wine

Grated zest and juice 1 orange

100ml cream, whipped

12 sponge finger biscuits

Grated white chocolate, to serve

Cook rhubarb and brown sugar in a saucepan over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes, until very soft. Transfer to a container and chill. Mix mascarpone, icing sugar, marsala and orange zest until smooth. Fold through whipped cream. Dip biscuits in orange juice two at a time. Break in half and place two halves in the base of six serving glasses. Top each with two tablespoons mascarpone mixture, two tablespoons rhubarb, another two biscuit halves and another tablespoon of mascarpone mixture. Top with grated white chocolate before serving. Serves 6