Spinach Fettuccine with Spinach, Butter and Parmesan

This recipe is a creation of Janet Fletcher, food writer and author of many wonderful cookbooks, including Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers. You can read more about Ms. Fletcher on her website (http://www.foodwriter.com/index.html). This particular recipe comes from Four Seasons Pasta, and the author writes that she loves this dish "for its simplicity and pure taste."

Spinach Fettuccine with Spinach, Butter and Parmesan
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 pound fresh spinach or egg fettuccine
1½ to 2 pounds spinach (not baby spinach), thick stems removed
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, in 10 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and boil until it is about 1 minute shy of al dente. Add the spinach leaves and stir them down into the pot to wilt. When the spinach is completely wilted, set aside 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste, then toss well. Add ½ cup of the cheese and toss again, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water as needed. Divide among warm bowls, topping each portion with some of the remaining cheese. Serve immediately.