Buttered Noodles - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups egg noodles or 1 1/2 cups penne
salt
1 tablespoon butter
flat leaf parsley
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (optional)

Preparation

Bring a pot of water to a boil. For this amount of pasta I would boil at least 2 quarts of water. When the water is boiling, add at least a tablespoon of salt and stir to dissolve.
Add the noodles to the boiling water. For the egg noodles, cook 5 minutes from the time the water comes back to a boil; for the penne, cook 8 minutes.
While the pasta is cooking, cut the butter into small bits, and chop the parsley.
Drain the pasta well, and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Toss with the butter (and optional parmesan).
Sprinkle with the parsley, and grind on lots of black pepper.